From the MERSD School Committee as Published in the Manchester Cricket:
As annual Town Meetings approach it is
important that voters have information about the state of our schools and the
cost of educating our children. We urge you to read the MERSD budget brochure
and access the budget in detail on the MERSD Budget page. Our reason for
writing today, however, is to offer a cost comparison of high-performing
schools and spending within our current fiscal reality.
A recent approach to school costs uses the
lens of per capita spending to view expenditures in relation to other towns in
the Commonwealth. While per capita
spending is relevant to the taxpayer, the per pupil expenditure metric
published by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education more directly
measures spending efficiency and is regularly used as a point of comparison
among school districts.
Cost per resident can confuse an analysis
of spending efficiency because it includes factors over which MERSD has no control,
such as the number of residents for every enrolled student. In fact, a high percentage of residents do
send their students to MERSD compared to neighboring communities, such as
Hamilton and Wenham. While this signals
a vote of confidence in our schools, it does drive up cost per resident, even
though MERSD’s spending per pupil is lower than its peers.
In 2013 Manchester Essex spent $14,317 per
pupil, placing us below our neighboring Cape Ann communities: Rockport -
$16,263, Hamilton Wenham - $15,057, and Gloucester - $14,504. When compared to other similar
high-performing districts in the state, Manchester Essex falls at the bottom of
a list of several, among them Weston, Bedford, Lexington, and Harvard. The average
per pupil cost of the 12 districts in this category is $16,600. MERSD was the lowest and Weston the highest
at $20,579.
High Performing Districts
|
PPE 2013
|
Weston
|
$20,579
|
Lincoln-Sudbury
|
$18,304
|
Wellesley
|
$17,231
|
Newton
|
$17,149
|
Bedford
|
$16,924
|
Brookline
|
$16,898
|
Lexington
|
$16,725*
|
Wayland
|
$16,269
|
Hamilton-Wenham
|
$15,057
|
Westwood
|
$14,827
|
Sharon
|
$14,659
|
Harvard
|
$14,579
|
Average
|
$16,600
|
MERSD
|
$14,317
|
*Based on 2013. Current figures not available.
|
|
The MERSD per pupil cost was 14% lower than
the high-performing districts and represents a 1.1% average spending growth
over the past four years, compared to 2.4% per year for the same group. Our
modest increase in 2013 is especially impressive when you consider the
expansion of our student population of 24% (281 students) in the last seven
years. Overall, MERSD per pupil
expenditure ranks 174th out of 326 school districts statewide.
From 2012 through 2014, the annual increase
in MERSD’s assessment to the Towns has averaged only 1.97%. Manchester’s share of MERSD’s costs has risen
more quickly than that of Essex, based on the Regional Agreement funding
formula, and an additional 198 Manchester residents attending district schools
since 2007. It is natural, therefore,
for costs to increase when more services are being used.
Finally, in addition to enrollment, the
budget has also been challenged by a large reduction in School Choice revenue
once generating approximately $875,000 annually – now
less than half that amount. Adding in
the $50,000 funding of the District’s unfunded liabilities this year, with a
strategic plan to close the gap, we have significant pressures to balance the
cost of educating our children.
Most important: what is the return on
investment? We are proud to say the schools remain strong and poised to
continue moving forward in a positive direction with your understanding and
support. Here are some statistics that
have distinguished our schools this year:
- Boston
Business Journal ranked MERSD 25th on its list of the Top
Performing School Districts of 2013.
- MERSD has
been recognized as a Spotlight District by the Boston Museum of Science
two years in a row for its innovation in elementary STEM (science,
technology, engineering and math).
- Ten high
school students have been selected to present abstracts at the regional
Junior Science Symposium, held annually at the University of New
Hampshire.
- 56% of our
upperclassmen took 261 AP examinations with 92% earning scores qualifying
them for college credit.
- The
Commonwealth of Massachusetts recognized MERSD as a Community Innovation
Challenge Grant spotlight district for dyslexia programming which yielded
a $685,000 cost savings to taxpayers.
- MERMHS was
one of only four schools in Massachusetts to receive the US Department of
Education Green Ribbon Award.
- MERMHS has
won three state championships this year:
Girls Tennis, Sailing, and Girls Cross Country.
- Debate,
DECA, Journalism, Art, Drama, and Music programs are annual award winners,
locally and nationally.
- Our
elementary schools were recognized by the U. S. Department of Agriculture
with the bronze medal in the HealthierUS school challenge.
Thank you for your time and consideration
of these facts that impact not only the future of our children but also the
overall fiscal well being of all residents and taxpayers.
MERSD School Committee
