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News & ArtsThursday, January 27, 2011
Education / Olympia Size Matters: The High Cost of Maintaining Small Rural School Districts
Posted by Goldy on Thu, Jan 27, 2011 at 12:01 PM
Last week, when I posted a graph charting percentage of state revenues paid by county, versus percentage of state K-12 funding received, some commenters argued that this data was misleading, as it didn't take into account the number of school age children in each county. Well... the chart above does.
This new chart graphs state "Basic Education" funding per student (based on OSPI data), and once again you'll find King County near the bottom of the chart ($6,322), and the usual red counties near the top, with Lincoln County scoring almost twice as much state funding per student ($10,356) than bottom-ranked Skamania ($5,799). What's up with that?
And this represents Basic Education only... no special education or bilingual programs to skew the numbers. In general and on average, it just simply costs the state more to educate children in red counties than it does in the bluer parts of the state.
Why? Well, a quick glance at the OSPI data reveals the gross inefficiency of sustaining the many tiny school districts that dot Washington's rural landscape. When you combine all sources of funding—state, federal and local—it cost $46,202 per student in 2008-2009 to educate the nine children enrolled in Adams County's Benge School District, compared to only $11,839 per student in our state's largest district, Seattle.
And Benge is no outlier.
Altogether there are three districts with total revenues exceeding $40,000 per student, 16 exceeding $30,000 and 22 exceeding $25,000... and all of them have enrollments under 100 students. Not surprisingly, for almost all of these districts, the vast majority of their funding came from state and federal sources; for example the Evergreen district in Stevens County raised $44,594 per student to educate its seven enrolled children, but only $574 each through local taxes. And while it is far from a straight line, in general, the smaller a district is, the higher its per student cost to the state.
Now, I'm not posting this data to make an argument for school district consolidation (though when it comes to some small and mid-sized districts, I'm guessing there's a helluva strong argument to make). And I'm certainly not making either a moral or policy argument against our state's wealthier households shouldering a disproportionate share of the cost of providing state services. Furthermore, I value what rural Washingtonians produce, and truly want them to be able to sustain their communities and educate their children, while maintaining a comfortable standard of living.
But the fact is, many of these communities and the basic government services they require are simply not sustainable without substantive state and federal subsidies... subsidies that we cannot continue to maintain at adequate levels without support from our rural neighbors to raise the taxes necessary to pay for them.
So while experience tells me otherwise, my hope is that if red county voters understand their true self-interest, the might actually start voting it.
[UPDATE: Just to be clear, the chart above includes Basic Education dollars only, and does not include Levy Equalization. So the state subsidy to smaller districts is even greater.]
4
@3 Will you shut the fuck up already? No one wants to see you post the exact same comment in every single Goldy post. And most of us are interested in continuing to explore this topic.
5
can we get some righties arguing with this? periodnoid troll hello? @3 doesn't count, you just hate having your head pulled out of your ass. taxes man, they actually matter for your rural ass! taxes don't go hardly at all to the lazy but to everyone dipshits! its called fucking civilization assbags
6
It's a shame how the tax-subsidized rural righties can't take what their tax-subsidized fingers dish out online.
7
This is the price of sprawl. Yes, there are some reasons to have people out in rural areas - farming for one. But of course most people in rural areas aren't there to farm - they've sprawled from the suburbs to the far suburbs to the exurbs in search of large cheap housing and a large yard.
Then we subsidise their schools, their roads, their water supply, their sewage treatment, etc. And in exchange they cut down trees, pave over farmland, and polute our air. Check out my chart here.
Then we subsidise their schools, their roads, their water supply, their sewage treatment, etc. And in exchange they cut down trees, pave over farmland, and polute our air. Check out my chart here.
8
Actually, I'm thinking that making a serious effort to stop sending them so much money might be the only way to get their attention and practical understanding of the true nature of the money situation.
I would also stop funding repair of the roads that lead to the schools, as they are not paying their fair share of that either. But the conservative psyche, being what it is, could easily contain the contradictory ideas that taxes are bad -- except when it's someone elses' tax money that you are getting.
That's just good business -- in their view.
I would also stop funding repair of the roads that lead to the schools, as they are not paying their fair share of that either. But the conservative psyche, being what it is, could easily contain the contradictory ideas that taxes are bad -- except when it's someone elses' tax money that you are getting.
That's just good business -- in their view.
10
@9 no, cause we north of the ship canal actually care about Seattle.
But we don't really care about Enumclaw. Other than a couple of hobby farmers and some horse enthusiasts (yes, it was fun listening to you at the Mayor's Town Hall).
But we don't really care about Enumclaw. Other than a couple of hobby farmers and some horse enthusiasts (yes, it was fun listening to you at the Mayor's Town Hall).
11
Republicans in King County need to understand that "wasteful spending" is going to their Republican brethren in Eastern Washington - this is why it appears that there is so much waste in our taxes.
More democratic legislators need to publicly say that unless the Republicans in the House work in good faith, a disproportionate amount of cuts will be going to the red counties. These stories also need to make it in the Eastern Newspapers.
More democratic legislators need to publicly say that unless the Republicans in the House work in good faith, a disproportionate amount of cuts will be going to the red counties. These stories also need to make it in the Eastern Newspapers.
12
I'm waiting to hear some Republican declare that 'Counties need to run a balanced budget and live within their means, just like you do at home', the way they keep saying about state budgets.
Rural welfare leeches.
Rural welfare leeches.
13
My father grew up in Winthrop and had and anecdote about how the school had a fairly new (for the time) and fully operational cafeteria but they didn't have enough students to warrant actually using it for lunch. They had to bring their lunch and the cafeteria was only used during an annual community wide spaghetti feed.
Does school in these rural counties have to look like school in an urban area? Would some sort of public supported/operated home schooling co-op-looking thing work? For these school districts that are only 7 kids big.
Does school in these rural counties have to look like school in an urban area? Would some sort of public supported/operated home schooling co-op-looking thing work? For these school districts that are only 7 kids big.
14
Why just small/medium sized school districts for consolidation? Why not the Spokane Valley, Northshore, Edmonds, Tumwater?
15
As usual, I really enjoy these comparisons. More data to demonstrate that the anecdotal sense of percentages that people carry around in their heads about spending are usually not very accurate.
That said, I predict that within 5 more posts, someone will talk about hydro electric power as if Eastern Washington can claim credit for a river.
That said, I predict that within 5 more posts, someone will talk about hydro electric power as if Eastern Washington can claim credit for a river.
16
for what it's worth, estimated cost of being a UW student 2010-2011: $32,460 [lives with parents/relative undergrad]
17
This is interesting data; however, because the high cost-per-student counties have very small numbers of students, the cost-per-county will still be relatively small. Isn't what you're pointing out just something like economies of scale and that there are some efficiencies to bigger school districts?
18
Josh,
The point is that while Republican's from sparsely populated areas claim that they're getting a raw deal and that King County is stealing their money, they in fact are getting a really sweet deal and getting handouts from King County.
The point is that while Republican's from sparsely populated areas claim that they're getting a raw deal and that King County is stealing their money, they in fact are getting a really sweet deal and getting handouts from King County.
19
Thanks for nailing it #18. I'm a great believer in thank you notes. Instead, we get "rain all over you" notes from these rural districts. I would actually support an initiative that limits counties from receiving some relatively small percentage beyond what they contribute.
20
Goldy, why are the costs so much higher in rural areas? Are classrooms less full? Are schools too small to be efficient? Is it because of higher transportation costs? Is the difference simply because of the overhead of small districts? Ferry County, for example, has five districts for less than 1,000 students. Or does the state simply pay a higher percentage of the costs for small districts?
21
Interesting that Skamania County is on the bottom of the list, and definitely qualifies as rural. My quick thought is that although rural, it does not have many communities scattered across it. May also receive some funding due to Native American community in North Bonneville, but that is pure speculation on my part. Hmm...
22
@20: I'm not Goldy, but off the top of my head, there's a minimum staffing issue for a school district, so the smaller the school district the higher it costs per capita.
23
FreshFish @20,
I can only speculate as to the reasons, but economies of scale certainly seem to be a major factor.
I can only speculate as to the reasons, but economies of scale certainly seem to be a major factor.
25
It's time to take a costs/benefits type look at places like Benge, Keller, Centerville, Bruce Port Lebam...
Some of these places may make perfectly good sense to fund and keep around, but we might be better off buying some folks out & closing some of them down. Hell, maybe we'll decide to fund all of them like we have been, but I think we need to have that discussion.
Some of these places may make perfectly good sense to fund and keep around, but we might be better off buying some folks out & closing some of them down. Hell, maybe we'll decide to fund all of them like we have been, but I think we need to have that discussion.
26
I grew up in Pacific County (3rd on the list). They have at least 5 different school districts when 2 would be adequate -- each have a superintendent and separate principals for the 5 class B/A size districts. Even 40 years ago many residents knew they should consolidate but there are those few loud voices against it. And the reason why? Because it would be the end of local sports rivalries! So the entire state (and federal government) subsidizes those little schools for a couple sports games each year. Seriously. Time for OSPI to step in and put an end to this nonsense.
27
I grew up in Pacific County (3rd on the list). They have at least 5 different school districts when 2 would be adequate -- each has a superintendent and separate principal(s) for the 5 class B/A size districts. Even 40 years ago many residents knew they should consolidate but there are those few loud voices against it. And the reason why? Because it would be the end of local sports rivalries! So the entire state (and federal government) subsidizes those little schools for a couple sports games each year. Seriously. Time for OSPI to step in and put an end to this nonsense.
28
I looked at the 7 kid elementary on google maps. Modest sized building as far as a school is concerned (my normal is in the I-5 corridor) with 3 buses parked next it. 3 buses for 7 kids.
29
Cue the saccharine commercial where a rural soccer mom talks about the values she and her children developed in a one room mono cultural schoolhouse - hard work, respect for our elders, and gosh darn it, how to get along. These one room school houses and small districts are a safe environment from whence we will find our next generations of leaders. - So its all worth it, yeah? We're all good here? thanks.
31
jj @30,
No, but honestly, how do you measure the test scores of a 7-student district? It's just not a large enough sample to be statistically relevant.
That said, would it matter? If metrics showed that these small districts were kicking the ass of their larger cousins, would we as a state really be willing to spend $45,000 per student to achieve the same results more broadly? It's just not a sustainable model.
No, but honestly, how do you measure the test scores of a 7-student district? It's just not a large enough sample to be statistically relevant.
That said, would it matter? If metrics showed that these small districts were kicking the ass of their larger cousins, would we as a state really be willing to spend $45,000 per student to achieve the same results more broadly? It's just not a sustainable model.
32
@28: Benge is a K-8 district; my guess is that at least one of those busses is used to take any high school kids who live in the district boundries off to Washtucna or Ritzville for high school.
33
How about post a graph that reflects income per capita and/or mean income by county as well as a graph that shows income generated per capita? (Hard to figure out the latter, but hey!)
The point is: Rural areas tend to be poor and yet they supply a wealth of resources that go to create the large incomes of others (many of whom I suspect live in urban areas) while rural people tend to get poorer or are displaced from their homes. There is a colonial relationship between cities and rural places, and yes rural people are also complicit in it. But Goldy's post is a little like Spain complaining that its colonies are soaking up too much money, too many taxes - and yet Spain enjoys the wealth of its colonies as well as the greater political access... (And, yes, the colonies also enjoy investments and tax support, too.)
I think the real issue is unsustainable resource use on the part of just about everyone - rural or urban. If we can take responsibility for the resources we each use and radically localize I think we can overcome the colonial economic relationship between urban and rural areas and the economic and political imbalance that keeps us squabbling round and round. Everyone would be better off.
Without recognizing the root issue, when we talk about things like funding for schools in the context of an unsustainable system, we're missing the point and we're fighting the wrong enemy. We should all be in this together.
The point is: Rural areas tend to be poor and yet they supply a wealth of resources that go to create the large incomes of others (many of whom I suspect live in urban areas) while rural people tend to get poorer or are displaced from their homes. There is a colonial relationship between cities and rural places, and yes rural people are also complicit in it. But Goldy's post is a little like Spain complaining that its colonies are soaking up too much money, too many taxes - and yet Spain enjoys the wealth of its colonies as well as the greater political access... (And, yes, the colonies also enjoy investments and tax support, too.)
I think the real issue is unsustainable resource use on the part of just about everyone - rural or urban. If we can take responsibility for the resources we each use and radically localize I think we can overcome the colonial economic relationship between urban and rural areas and the economic and political imbalance that keeps us squabbling round and round. Everyone would be better off.
Without recognizing the root issue, when we talk about things like funding for schools in the context of an unsustainable system, we're missing the point and we're fighting the wrong enemy. We should all be in this together.
34
Thanks @shaunmdaniel, I enjoyed your balanced and nuanced response. As a self described liberal who grew up in an urban area and now lives in a rural area (an no it is not an "exurb" it is a small town based primarily on agriculture) I was disappointed to read so many seemingly monarchical comments from Seattle liberals. The overall view expressed seems to be that because people live in a large urban area and make a lot of money they get to decide what should be done throughout the entire state. By that logic should we get rid of state government and have all decisions made in NYC or DC? We all pay a portion of our income so that we can all benefit from a certain level of service that is essential for quality of life, like an education.
Republican or even libertarian does not necessarily equate with conservative. I work with many party line Republicans who will fight to support small family farms and sustainable agriculture or clean energy (which I consider progressive issues). Many people are also very excepting of different view points as it is impossible to isolate yourself with exclusively like minded people and contrary to some of the other posts there is a diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds outside of Seattle.
Republican or even libertarian does not necessarily equate with conservative. I work with many party line Republicans who will fight to support small family farms and sustainable agriculture or clean energy (which I consider progressive issues). Many people are also very excepting of different view points as it is impossible to isolate yourself with exclusively like minded people and contrary to some of the other posts there is a diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds outside of Seattle.
35
Thanks @shaunmdaniel, I enjoyed your balanced and nuanced response. As a self described liberal who grew up in an urban area and now lives in a rural area (an no it is not an "exurb" it is a small town based primarily on agriculture) I was disappointed to read so many seemingly monarchical comments from Seattle liberals. The overall view expressed seems to be that because people live in a large urban area and make a lot of money they get to decide what should be done throughout the entire state. By that logic should we get rid of state government and have all decisions made in NYC or DC? We all pay a portion of our income so that we can all benefit from a certain level of service that is essential for quality of life, like an education.
Republican or even libertarian does not necessarily equate with conservative. I work with many party line Republicans who will fight to support small family farms and sustainable agriculture or clean energy (which I consider progressive issues). Many people are also very excepting of different view points as it is impossible to isolate yourself with exclusively like minded people and contrary to some of the other posts there is a diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds outside of Seattle.
Republican or even libertarian does not necessarily equate with conservative. I work with many party line Republicans who will fight to support small family farms and sustainable agriculture or clean energy (which I consider progressive issues). Many people are also very excepting of different view points as it is impossible to isolate yourself with exclusively like minded people and contrary to some of the other posts there is a diversity of viewpoints and backgrounds outside of Seattle.
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