NJ Education Report

Commissioner Lucille Davy today released the 2009 Comparative Spending Guide, the DOE’s annual statistical report that details local school spending and ranks districts based on per pupil spending, administrative costs, transportation efficiency, extracurricular expenses, etc. Districts are divided by operating type and size (e.g., 1800-3500 kids, K-6). Here’s the link.

Here are the highlights, from the DOE press release:

• The state average total cost per pupil is $13,539 this year, up 5.9% from the actual average cost in the previous year. This is greater than the average increase in the previous two years – 5.0% for FY 2008 and 3.8% for FY 2007.
• Total classroom instructional costs average $7,968 per pupil this year, for an increase of 6.1%. While the rate of increase was higher than in the previous year at only 4.7%, instructional expenditures remain about 59% of the total cost per pupil.
• Support services, such as guidance and nursing services, are $2,091 per pupil this year on average, an increase of 6.5% since last year. This increase is consistent with the previous year. Support services currently comprise 15.4% of the total cost per pupil.
• Administrative costs this year average $1,430 per pupil, a one-year increase of 3.3% (compared with the previous year’s increase of 3.1%). On average, administrative costs make up 10.6% of the total cost per pupil.