Costs in each of five prototype
districts, without factoring in student
needs:
small
K-12: $8,041 per pupil moderate
K-12: $6,751 per pupil large
K-12 district: $6,004 per pupil very
large K-12 district: $6,048 elementary
district: $6,885 per pupil
After factoring in costs for sepcial
education, Native American, and poor
students, the average total expenditures
for each of the five prototype districts
were:
small
K-12: $9,954 per pupil moderate
K-12: $8,992 per pupil large
K-12: $7,694 per pupil very
large K-12: $7,681 per pupil elementary
district: $8,720 per pupil
Average total expenditure per pupil
in 2001-02 was $7,007.
The Montana School Boards Association
applied these base cost figures to
the state’s school districts
to determine the total increase required:
$171 million, or 17 percent, over
the base of $996 million spent by
Montana schools in the 2000-2001 school
year.
Major Recommendations:
Set
foundation funding amounts based on
the services delivered, including
an evaluation of student needs, and
based on the level of performance
students are expected to achieve.
Expected
student performance was between
84 and 89 percent of students scoring
at the proficient level or higher
in five subjects in fourth, eighth,
and eleventh grade after five years.
Adjust
this amount for geographic cost differences.
Professional
development needs to be consistent
across all districts.
Include
full-day kindergarten and gifted and
talented programs for all students
and add pre-school, summer school,
and extended day programs for at-risk
students.
Special Features
of the Study:
The study revealed that school districts
were taking on a large burden in developing
content standards and assessment tools
because the Montana Office of Public
Instruction did not have sufficient
capacity to do this work. The resources
identified for the prototype school
districts did not fully cover this additional
role in the state’s standards-based
reform efforts.
Five panels of Montana educators
estimated the resources needed at
prototype school sites at the elementary,
middle, and high school levels. Five
district panels reviewed the work
of the five schools panels and added
resources needed at the district level.
Finally, one “expert”
panel reviewed the work of all of
the district panels and made choices
regarding the price of resources.
Pre-K-12
Enrollment: 149,995