Bang for the Buck: Wisconsin Schools Do Great Work Graduating Students.

In September of last year, Ed Money Watch, a blog run by the New America Foundation, posted an interesting scatter chart showing the correlation between "per pupil" K-12 annual spending of each state with their graduation rates.  Here is the chart:

The spending data was 2008 U.S. Census data,  the most current education spending data available at the U.S. Census.

Vermont, way to the left of the chart, spends the least amount per student (about $6,000) and gets a graduation rate of about 74%.  New Jersey spends the most per pupil, $16,491, and gets a graduation rate of of about 83%.

The Ed Money Watch "money quote:"

        "In fact, there are many outliers (states that do not follow the overall pattern) on the scatter plot. These states typically have low graduation rates and high per pupil expenditures or high graduation rates and low per pupil expenditures. For example, Wisconsin appears to get some of the best returns on its education spending compared to other states – it has a relatively low per pupil expenditure ($10,791 – just over the national average) but the highest graduation rate in the country (89.6 percent). Iowa and Minnesota, with slightly lower graduation rates (84.6 percent for both), also buck the trend with lower than average per pupil expenditures ($9,520 in Iowa and $10,048 in Minnesota)."

2008 only 17 states spent more per pupil than Wisconsin.  But some states are richer and more expensive to live in, say, New York, New Jersey or Massachusetts.  How should we measure Wisconsin per pupil spending to other states that may be considerably richer or poorer? The 2008 U.S. Census data helps out here as well by measuring state per pupil spending per $1000 of income (Table 12, page 26 of 144) of individuals in the 50 states and D.C.  Under this measurement, Wisconsin jumps from 18 to 16 in ranking.

By the measurement of graduation rates per dollar spent, Wisconsin schools are doing a great job.  I'll comment on other measurements later.

New American Foundation's sources of funding can be seen here.

The Private Education Governor for the New Millennium

Everyone suspected that Governor Walker was not going to be gunning today in his budget address to be known in future Wisconsin school textbooks as “the Education Governor of the New Millennium.”   After reviewing the budget he unveiled today, we now know that if you slip the word “Private” between “the” and “Education” in the above clause, you’ll be accurately describing him.  Everything he proposed today is geared to hurting the public education system in Wisconsin while making private and charter schools more attractive.

The Governor also confirmed in his budget that he intends to balance the next biennium budget squarely on the backs of public school teachers and administrators, the University System and other public employees, and move as many children as possible into private and charter schools

            Here are some of the highlights of the meat cleaver he wants to take to K -12 education:  

1.      Reduce equalization aid by $749.4 million over the biennium to help address the state budget deficit, or 8.5%.  For Madison Metropolitan School District, this will lead to about $4.2 million in equalization aid being cut from its schools. Madison Schools already received a 15% reduction ($7.8 million) in school aids from the state for 2010-11. This is after a similar 15% reduction ($9.2 million) in school aids to Madison Schools for the 2009-10 year

2.      To protect property taxpayers, reduce school district revenue limits per pupil by 5.5 percent below the amounts authorized in fiscal year 2010-11 and maintain those same amounts over the biennium. Thus school districts will be constrained in trying to make up the loss of equalization aid by increasing property taxes.

3.      To also protect property taxpayers, repeal revenue limit exemptions for school nurses, pupil transportation costs, school safety equipment and security officers

4.      Allow school districts to cut costs by reducing the school year below 180 days annually.

5.      Defund general purpose revenue funded categorical aid  programs for Advanced Placement courses, AODA programs, in public schools, ESL programs, science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs

6.      For students who did not attend a Milwaukee choice school in 2010-11, phase out the family income requirement as a condition of eligibility for the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program

7.      Repeal the enrollment cap for the Milwaukee County Charter School program.

8.      Allow charter schools to be created anywhere in Wisconsin.

9.      Repeal the enrollment limits for the state’s virtual charter school program.

10.  Allow charter school teacher to teach with “at least” a bachelor’s degree.

Wississippi here we come!



Governor Walker doesn't value education. And he can't spell it.

I will comment more on the budget as I study it further, but I had to share this portion of the Governor's Budget Summary found on the Department of Adminstration Web Page shortly after the Governor's Budget Address.  The above page sets out the cuts and increases in the budget by Functional Areas, and it isn't a pretty sight for Section 200, the "Eduction" Functional Area.  Could it instead be that the Governor wants to spend over $9 Billion dollars on helping the citizens of Wisconsin figure out how to better deduce something from assumed facts?

WPT will Air the Budget Address at 4:00 PM as well

Wisconsin Public Television will have the Governor's Budget Address in five minutes.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel will stream the budget address on-line

JS On-Line will do a live on-line stream of the Governor's budget address at 4:00 PM today.  My understanding is that you might have trouble getting in to see it for yourself.

Walker right? Maybe roads are the transportation mode for the future?

The U.S. Department of Transportation is supporting this project with a small grant.  The key is developing a high strength glass composite, that keeps itself relatively clean (for allowing the sun to reach the photo-voltaic panels while under use by trucks, buses and cars); and which will be durable and stand up to the weight of traffic. 

Its time for a mental health break!

From the Jimmy Kimmel Show.