Classroom spending rose in Kyrene, TU last year

Classroom spending per pupil rose in both in Kyrene and Tempe Union High School districts last school year, exceeding the averages for districts their size, according to the Arizona Auditor General.

In Kyrene, instruction spending went from $4,059 in the year that Superintendent Jan Vesely started her job to $4,494 last school year. Tempe Union’s per-pupil instruction spending rose from $4,088 to $4,338 in the same time period. Kyrene's average per-pupil spending in the classroom also exceeded the statewide average.

The AG’s latest annual report shows that while most East Valley districts’ per-pupil spending on administration costs last year was well below the same averages, they were higher in both Tempe Elementary and Tempe Union High School districts than the averages for districts their size and all school districts statewide.

The average per-pupil spending on instruction by Tempe Union exceeded the average for districts its size, $4,338 to $4,035. However, its per-pupil spending on instruction fell below the statewide average of $4,377.

Tempe Elementary’s per-pupil expenditure for instruction was the highest among all East Valley districts at $4,700. It also topped all East Valley districts for the total cost of educating one student – $11,299. That includes all expenditures, from transportation to maintenance.

Tempe Union’s administrative costs per pupil of $898 were higher than the average $796 spent by districts its size and above the statewide average of $844.

Tempe Union spokeswoman Jennifer Liewer said, “There are many factors that go into calculating administrative averages.”

“TUHSD actually has less administrators per student than our peer districts and the state average. We do have very seasoned administrators in our district and not a lot of turn over,” she added.

On the other hand, Kyrene’s per pupil costs for administrators – $586 – was significantly lower than the $796 average for districts its size as well as the statewide average of $844.

Per pupil instruction spending was significantly higher in 2016-17 than the previous school year, the Auditor General said.

A large infusion of new cash resulted in the first increase in years in the percentage of dollars that schools are putting into the classroom.

The AG reported that 53.8 cents of every dollar spent this past school year went to instruction statewide.

That largely includes salaries and benefits for teachers and aides as well as instructional supplies like pencils and paper, instructional software, athletics, band and choir.

That compares with 53.5 cents for the prior year.

It is also the first increase in 13 years.

But Auditor General Debra Davenport said the instructional share is still 4.8 percent below the high point in 2004. And even after adjusting for inflation, total per pupil spending is $146 less now than it was in 2004.

The infusion of some additional dollars is reflected in average per-pupil instructional spending across the East Valley.

Mesa Public Schools had the lowest year-over-year increase – $10.

What’s fueling this year’s bump is an additional nearly $341.8 million put into public schools, largely because of voter approval in 2016 of Proposition 123.

Most of that cash came from the state land trust, proceeds from the sale and lease of state lands that already were being held in reserve for schools.

Of that total, Davenport reported, more than $200 million went into instruction.

Still, Arizona remains below the national average of 60.7 cents of every dollar going into instruction. But Davenport said there are some reasons for that.

On one hand, she said the additional dollars allowed school district average pay to increase by 4.3 percent, to $48,372. But even with that increase, Davenport said salaries here are about 17 percent below the national average.

The report also says the state spends less than average on instruction simply by putting more students into classrooms. The average class size in Arizona is 18.6; the figure is 16 nationally.