The Davenport Institute at the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy recently released a report analyzing K-12 public school expenditures in California. Fox and Hounds Daily interviewed the co-author, Dr. Steven Frates, who is Director of Research at the Davenport Institute. You can find the full report here.
F&H: Your report reveals that total statewide expenditures for K-12 education increased more rapidly than inflation from FY 2003-04 through FY 2008-09.
Frates: Yes, that is correct.
F&H: We’ve heard a lot in the press over the last few years about cuts in education financing, but your report indicates otherwise. What are the facts?
Frates: Statewide, operating expenditures for k-12 education increased every year until FY 2008-09, when they decreased. On a per student basis, operating expenditures statewide for k-12 education increased every year until FY 2008-09, when they decreased by one dollar per student. During this period, operating expenditures per student increased 25.8%, compared to an increase of 15 % in California’s per capita personal income. This means, basically, a greater share of Californians personal income was going to each student in FY 2008-09 than was the case in FY 2003-04. If capital expenditures are included, total expenditures (operating and capital, F&H) in both absolute and per student terms increased every year, including FY 2008-09.
F&H: And the one dollar per student decrease in FY 2008-09 operating expenditures also reflects the fact that the number of students decreased during this period?
Frates: Yes, that is correct.
F&H: And the operating expenditure per student was …
Frates: $9,875 in FY 2008-09 and $12,134 if capital expenditures are included.
F&H: How did teachers make out during the time period you studied?
Frates: Statewide, expenditures for teacher salaries and benefits declined from 50% of total operating expenditures in FY 2003-04 to 48% of total operating expenditures in FY 2008-09.
F&H: How do teacher salaries compare with the state’s personal income statistics?
Frates: Our report shows that expenditures for teacher salaries did not go up much faster than per capita personal income, 21% vs. 15%, but that expenditures for administrative salaries increased much faster.
F&H: How much faster?
Frates: Expenditures for classified administrator and supervisor salaries went up 44%, while expenditures for certificated administrators and supervisors went up 28%.
F&H: You analyzed 52 selected districts around the state and found substantial differences in the expenditures for teacher salaries and benefits as a percentage of total operating expenditures. Examples?
Frates: At the top of the scale Temecula Valley Unified spent 62% of FY2008-09 operating expenditures on teacher salaries and benefits. Oakland Unified was at the bottom, spending only 35% of total operating expenditures on teacher salaries and benefits in FY 2008-09.
F&H: There has been a lot of press about teacher layoffs. Comments?
Frates: Well, if all other operating expenditures, except teacher salary and benefit expenditures, had been held constant over the last two years, it would have freed up enough money to pay for at least 22,000 more teachers statewide. To put that in perspective there are somewhat over 300,000 k-12 teachers currently employed by k-12 public school districts in California. So, a little more prudent allocation of resources would have prevented many teachers from receiving pink slips, and still allowed for teacher salary and benefit increases.
F&H: What is the purpose of this report?
Frates: To inform the public, and raise the level of the discussion about k-12 public education expenditures in California.