NPR report shows Merced schools spend below average on students

Merced school districts spend less on students than the national average, a National Public Radio report shows, but that doesn’t necessarily correlate with student achievement.

A map outlining how much districts across the nation spend on students was published last week and is the first in a series exploring school funding.

Most Merced County school districts spend about $8,000 on each student, the report shows. Plainsburg Union Elementary spends the least of county districts, at $7,109 per student. Merced River Union Elementary spends the most at $11,958.

Merced districts fall under the national average for student spending but are in line with state spending.

The Valley, like many other parts of the state, falls below the national average, while the northern and eastern parts of the state spend above the national average.

Mariposa County Unified is one of the districts above the national average, spending about $15,000 per student.

The difference in spending depends on the tax base in each community, the report said. Dependence on the tax base leads to segregation in schools based on location.

Since the recession, state governments spend less on schools, making a big impact on school budgets. School budgets typically have three funding sources: 45 percent local funding; 45 percent state funding; and 10 percent federal funding, the report said.

Steve Gomes, Merced County superintendent of schools, said though California’s funding for schools has improved, there’s still more to do.

“Although per-student funding in California has improved, the state still ranks in the bottom 25 percent of all states,” he said.

Merced City School District receives significantly less in local funding because of the low tax base here, said Greg Spicer, associate superintendent for Merced City Schools.

California’s education funding formula has helped offset that imbalance because it provides extra funding to schools with a large population of students who come from economically disadvantaged homes, who are learning English or who are foster children.

While poorer districts tend to have less money, they also have higher costs, the report said.

Nationwide, the achievement gap between wealthy and poor districts continues to grow rather than decrease, the report said. State governments and districts debate whether student spending correlates with student achievement in the second part of the series. State government leaders contend it’s not about the amount of money, it’s about how the money is spent.

“Does money make a difference? Absolutely it does,” Spicer said.

Spicer said the state funding helps provide support services to those students in Merced. The district has used the funding for technology, staff such as librarians and counselors, and programs that focus on STEAM subjects. (STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math.)

The report said money matters if it reaches the students who need it the most, funding increases come steadily and the money stays in the classroom paying for teacher training and improving curriculum.

“Extra money spent thoughtlessly is no panacea for what ails many schools,” the report says. “But it‘s also true that, to pay for the kinds of things (and people) that are most likely to help vulnerable students, many schools need more money.”

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 6:24 PM with the headline "NPR report shows Merced schools spend below average on students."