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My School Stats
December 2007 |
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Dear GreatSchools Parent,
Welcome to My School Stats for Ida Middle School.
This month, we're looking at how much money is spent for each student in your school district. Many states around the country face a sluggish economy and declining tax revenues, forcing school districts to prepare for budget cuts while they defend their current level of spending. How will the state budget cuts affect your school? Are there ways your school or district could spend money more wisely?
Let us know if you find this information helpful.
Thanks for reading,
Lisa Rosenthal
Senior Editor, GreatSchools |
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How is the Budget Divided?
In most schools, the lion's share of the budget goes to teacher and staff salaries, generally classified as "instructional." Additional categories of expenditures include: administration, support services, operations, and other. This last category generally includes utilities, maintenance, security, food service, and the salaries of support staff such as bus drivers and cafeteria workers.
Where does the money come from?
Taxpayers pay for schools, through property taxes and state taxes. The majority of the school's funding comes from the state budget with additional funding coming from the federal government and local sources. When there's a downturn in the economy, there's less tax revenue, which can mean budget cuts and financial uncertainty for schools.
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Issues to Consider
How important is the level of school funding in evaluating your school? Does more money mean higher levels of achievement?
The answer might surprise you.
Learn more
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Questions Parents Should Ask
Do you want to know more about where the money goes at your school? Ask questions like these of your school administrators, PTA, school site council and local school board:
- How does my school's funding level compare to other schools? To the state average?
- How does my state compare to other states on school funding?
- How much money comes to my school from local funding sources? (fundraising and grants)
- Are parents and community members active in raising funds for the school and the school district?
- Does my school or school district have a nonprofit foundation dedicated to fundraising?
- If there are state budget cuts, what expenses will get cut at my school?
Learn more about school funding:
School Finance: Issues to Consider
The Ins and Outs of School Finance
Raising Money for Your School
If you've asked the questions and don't like the answers, read:
Become a Legislative Advocate for Your Child's School
Learn about this school's academic performance:
See state test scores for Ida Middle School
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| Parent Reviews: Insights Beyond the Numbers
Want to learn more about the school behind the numbers? Parent reviews add the extra dimension to our school profiles. We have published more than 305,000 parent reviews for schools across the country. Your insights will help other parents get the full picture of your child's school as no statistic can.
The parent reviews give a glimpse of the quality of the school from the perspective of other parents. The more parent reviews on GreatSchools.net, the more valuable this feature will be for all parents. See what other parents have to say about your school, add a review of your own and while you're at it, tell a friend to do the same! Review your school
Would you like to review another school? Find your school and post your review
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