Agenda - 03-30-1995 - II - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 School Lark Bulletin Winter 19Qi Figure 13 Figure 14 Average Spending for Capital Needs, 1986-93, Spending for Capital Needs, 1986-93, as a as a Percentage of Schools' 1984 Reported Needs, Percentage of Schools' 1984 Reported Needs in by Per Capita Income 50 Counties with Lowest Per Capita Income S 20.000 or More �� 200 or More 5 18,000--19.999 v 150-199 6 7 16,000-17.999 v 100-149 7 `Z i� U 14,000-15,999 i } 80-99 a 13,000-13.999 50-79 l0 a a 12.000-12,999 I j 30-49 9 j Less than 12,000 I Less than 30 5 0 50 t00 150 200 250 Percentage of Reported Needs Number of Counties in 1993 than in 1984(compared with 10 of the 50 high- How much have needs actually increased? Com- est-income counties). Only 22 of the 50 low-income paring change in reported needs of individual counties counties increased their debt service payments (35 of between 1988 and 1993 without taking into account the 50 highest-income counties did so). spending on school construction during that period Spending compared to 1988 reported needs. De- gives a false indication of actual change in reported spite the increases in reported needs between 1984 and needs. 1988, the 50 low-income counties did fairly well in Take, for example, a hypothetical county that re- meeting 1988 reported needs. In 20 of those counties, ported ten-year needs of $10 million in 1988 and $12 spending during the five-year period 1989 to 1993 ex- million in 1993, which appears to be a modest increase ceeded 50 percent or more of ten-year needs reported of 20 percent. Let us suppose that between 1989 and in 1988. Spending exceeded 70 percent or more of 1993 the county spent $6 million to meet construction needs in 9 counties and exceeded needs in 2 of them. needs reported in 1988. Thirty-four of the 50 counties spent more than they re- Thus, of this county's 1988 reported needs, S4 ceived in state aid, and 18 of them spent twice as much million was unmet as of 1993. If needs had not as they received in state aid. changed since 1988, the county would have reported 1993 needs of $4 million (ignoring, for simplicity. in- Construction Spending and creases in construction costs). Therefore, the S12 mil- lion of needs actually reported in 1993 represents an Escalating increase in reported needs of$8 million, equal to an 80 If most counties have done well in using state percent increase in needs between 1988 and 1993. aid and local resources to meet previously reported Equivalently, 1993 reported needs plus the amount of needs, why have reported needs continued to rise so 1988 reported needs already met by spending equals dramatically? S18 million. an 80 percent increase over 1988 reported Let us examine how reported needs changed be- need,, of $10 million. tween 1988 and 1993 in the 100 counties, taking into %%hen «e calculate true increases in reported account the spending that occurred during that period. needs to this fashion, the results are much different Can those changes be explained by factors that nor- from \.hen \,ve simply compare changes in reported mally could be expected to affect school construction needs. Fir.t. as noted earlier, statewide needs did not needs, such as increased construction costs, enrollment increa,,c h� S1.8 billion, or by 50 percent, between changes, or increased numbers of classroom teachers 1988 and 1993. Rather, needs increased by S4 billion, provided through the Basic Education Program`.' or b- more than 100 percent.