“Givers advance the world,
takers advance themselves and hold the world back.” Simon Sinek.
A.) What is the percentage costs typically allocated for
a new school project? Typical
Cost Allocations for a New School Project
K-12 School:
- Construction – 67%
- Site Purchase – 2%
- Site
Development – 9%
- Furnishings and Equipment – 14%
- Fees/Other – 8%
B.) What was the total dollar amount of K-12 school
construction in the United States in 2011?
Total
Dollars Spent on K-12 School Construction in 2011
School Planning & Management magazine reports the following
total K-12 school construction spending in 2011:
$12,241,103***
C.) What was the
capital outlay for public school systems in the United States for 2008-2009?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the capital outlay
for 2008-2009 for public school systems was $68,044,563,000:
- Construction: $56,653,349,000
- Land and existing structures:
$4,188,206,000
- Instructional equipment: $2,225,407,000
- “Other” equipment:
$6,977,601,000
- Interest on debt: $17,140,693,000
- Payments to other
governments: $ 1,962,947,000
D.) How much does
the U.S. spend per student for capital outlay and maintenance and operations of
K-12 schools?
According to the
National Center for Education Statistics, for the 2007-08 school year:
- Capital
expenditures per student: $1368
- Operations and maintenance per
student: $1027
E.) What was the
average construction cost for elementary, middle, and high schools in 2010?
Estimates differ. According to School Planning and
Management’s (SP&M) School Construction Report, the national median costs
for school construction in 2010 were as follows:
Elementary school
SP&M - Cost/ sqft: $190.4, Cost/Student
$25,500 Total cost $14,800,000 (600 students)
Middle school
SP&M - Cost/ sqft: $215.14, Cost/Student
$29,959, Total cost: $30,000,000 (936 students)
High school
SP&M - Cost/ sqft: $188.68, Cost/Student $30,833,
Total cost: $54,900,000 (1600 students)
F.) What is the
average energy cost in school facilities per student?
The average cost of energy/utilities per student
follows:
The national median cost per student (K-12)
2005 - $233.05*
2006 - $297.67**
2007 - $299.43***
2008 - $295.13****
According to American School and University Magazine utility
spending increased 28 percent between the 2005-06 and the 2006-07 school
years.*
American
School and University’s 38th Annual M&O Cost Study indicates that
energy/utility costs are 32 percent of the M&O budget.
Based on the statistics above
closing schools in the United States may be a bigger fiscal burden then we
realized. The question that perhaps we haven’t asked enough is how can we avoid
this dilemma? What are some practical solutions to alleviate this travesty?
One of the biggest challenges
of today’s leaders in education is how to save a troubled education system.
Everything in our world is evolving at a faster pace then ever except perhaps
the United States education system. The need for education reform is far
overdue but what should that reform look like systemically?
Embracing the power of design
just might be a good start in reviving education in the United States. Imagine
piloting innovative programs give schools and communities incentives to partner
in champing positive education reform.
Here are a few ideas could
possibly help to move education in the right direction.
1.)
Rethinking school construction: In order to minimize fiscal pressure and drum up
stronger community support we must reimagine public school facility usage.
2.)
Community Engagement and integration: Combining urban farm & gardening, and community economic
development programs would provide tax breaks and new streams of income.
Schools could teach children how to eat healthy, be entrepreneurs, manage
money, and reinvest half the proceeds in scholarships for the students.
3.)
Partnership & advocate initiatives and incentives: Working with local political leaders and businesses
to devise strong incentives for advocates and supporters of each school.
Students of Community and state colleges could supply interns and assistance to
help reduce the workload on staff in exchange for work experience. This will
also enable schools to access resources and utilize the facilities of the colleges
in their partnership network.
4.)
Address high unemployment with incubators &
community co-op projects: Due to
rising unemployment and a shortage of opportunities jobs are scarce for many
residents living in under developed communities.
5.)
Become an anchor instead of an annoyance:
6.)
Creative uses for closed schools:
American students are not learning the skills and knowledge they
need to succeed in today’s world.
Two out of three eighth-graders
can’t read proficiently. (NAEP, 2011) (NAEP, 2011)
Nearly two-thirds of eighth-graders
scored below proficient in math. (NAEP, 2011)
Seventy-five percent of students are
not proficient in civics. (NAEP, 2011)
Nearly three out of four eighth- and
12th-grade students cannot write proficiently. (NAEP, 2012)
Some 1.1 million American students
drop out of school every year. (EPE, 2012)
For African-American and Hispanic
students across the country, dropout rates are close to 40 percent, compared to
the national average of 27 percent. (EPE, 2012)
Our public school students trail their peers in most other
industrialized nations.
After World War II, the United
States had the #1 high school graduation rate in the world. Today, we have
dropped to # 22 among 27 industrialized nations. (OECD, 2012)
American students rank 25th in math,
17th in science and 14th in reading compared to students in 27 industrialized
countries.(OECD, 2012)
By the end of the eighth grade, U.S.
students are two years behind in math compared to their peers in other
countries. (OECD, 2009)
The U.S. ranks behind 13 other
countries in terms of the percentage of 25- to 34-year-olds who have completed
some college coursework. (OECD, 2012)
American students tend
to perform worse in math and science as they age, according to recent studies
measuring fourth- and eighth-graders' academic achievement against other
industrialized nations. Gaps with high performing countries like South Korea
and Singapore are widening. (TIMSS, 2012)
Question:
What are
the new Back to School statistics for 2013?
Response:
America's
schools and colleges will welcome back record numbers of students this fall, as
population increases and high enrollment rates continue. In particular, more
elementary students (prekindergarten through grade 8) are expected to enter
U.S. public school systems than ever before.
Elementary and
Secondary Education
Enrollment
In 2010–11, there
were about 13,600 public school districts (source) with over 98,800 public schools, including about
5,300 charter schools (source). In 2011–12, there were about 30,900 private schools
offering kindergarten or higher grades (source).
In fall 2013, about
50.1 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools. Of
these, 35.3 million will be in prekindergarten through 8th grade and 14.8
million will be in grades 9 through 12. An additional 5.2 million students are
expected to attend private schools (source).
About 1.3 million
children are expected to attend public prekindergarten this fall. Enrollment in
public kindergarten is projected to reach approximately 3.8 million students (source).
This fall, about 4.1
million public school students are expected to enroll in 9th grade—the typical
entry grade for many American high schools (source).
Teachers
Public school systems
will employ about 3.3 million full-time-equivalent (FTE) teachers this fall,
such that the number of pupils per FTE teacher—that is, the pupil/teacher
ratio—will be 15.1. This ratio is lower than the 2000 ratio of 16.0. A
projected 0.4 million FTE teachers will be working in private schools this
fall, resulting in an estimated pupil/teacher ratio of 12.3, which is also lower
than the 2000 ratio of 14.5 (source and source).
Expenditures
Current expenditures
for public elementary and secondary schools are projected to be $591 billion
for the 2013–14 school year. These expenditures include such items as salaries
for school personnel, benefits, student transportation, school books and materials,
and energy costs. The current expenditure per student is projected at $11,810
for this school year (source).
Attainment
About 3.3 million
students are expected to graduate from high school in 2013–14, including 3.0
million students from public high schools and 278,000 students from private
high schools (source).
The percentage of
high school dropouts among 16- through 24-year-olds declined from 12.1 percent
in 1990 to 7.1 percent in 2011 (source and source). Reflecting the overall decline in the dropout rate
between 1990 and 2011, the rates also declined for Whites, Blacks, and
Hispanics (source).
The percentage of
students enrolling in college in the fall immediately following high school
completion was 68.2 percent in 2011 (source). Females enrolled at a higher rate (72.2 percent) than
males (64.7 percent) (source).
College and
University Education
Enrollment
In fall 2013, a
record 21.8 million students are expected to attend American colleges and
universities, constituting an increase of about 6.5 million since fall 2000 (source).
Females are expected
to account for the majority of college students: about 12.5 million females
will attend in fall 2013, compared with 9.3 million males. Also, more students
are expected to attend full time than part time (an estimated 13.4 million,
compared with about 8.3 million, respectively) (source).
Nearly 7.5 million
students will attend public 2-year institutions (source), and 0.5 million will attend private 2-year colleges
(source). Some 8.2 million students are expected to attend
public 4-year institutions (source), and about 5.6 million will attend private 4-year
institutions (source).
Increases in the
traditional college-age population and rising enrollment rates have contributed
to the increase in college enrollment. Between 2000 and 2011, the 18- to
24-year-old population rose from approximately 27.3 million to approximately 31.1
million (source). The percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in
college also was higher in 2011 (42.0 percent) than in 2000 (35.5 percent) (source). This fall, these traditional college-age students
will be joined by around 8.7 million older students ages 25 and over. The
number of older students increased between 2000 and 2011 (source).
Increasing numbers
and percentages of Black and Hispanic students are attending college. Between
2000 and 2011, the percentage of college students who were Black rose from 11.7
to 15.1 percent, and the percentage of students who were Hispanic rose from 9.9
to 14.3 percent (source). Also, the percentage of Black 18- to 24-year-olds
enrolled in college increased from 30.5 percent in 2000 to 37.1 percent in 2011
and the percentage of Hispanics enrolled increased from 21.7 to 34.8 percent (source).
Finance
For the 2011–12 academic
year, the average annual price for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board
was $14,292 at public institutions (including $5,500 for in-state tuition) and
$33,047 at private nonprofit and for-profit institutions. In this year, the
average annual price for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board was
$16,789 at public 4-year institutions, $37,906 at private nonprofit 4-year
institutions, and $23,364 at private for-profit 4-year institutions. Charges
for tuition and required fees averaged $7,701 at public 4-year colleges, $2,647
at public 2-year institutions, $27,686 at private nonprofit 4-year
institutions, $14,193 at private nonprofit 2-year institutions, $13,819 at
private for-profit 4-year institutions, and $13,834 at private for-profit 2-year
institutions (source).
Attainment
During the 2013–14
school year, colleges and universities are expected to award 943,000
associate’s degrees; 1.8 million bachelor's degrees; 778,000 master's degrees;
and 177,000 doctor's degrees (source, source, source, and source).
In 2011, about 71
percent of young adults with a bachelor's degree or higher in the labor force
had year-round, full-time jobs, compared with 65 percent of those with an
associate's degree, 59 percent each of those with some college education and of
high school completers, and 48 percent of those without a high school diploma
or its equivalent (source). In 2012, a smaller percentage of young adults with
a bachelor's degree or higher were unemployed than were their peers with lower
levels of education (source).
In 2011, the median
of earnings for young adults with a bachelor's degree was $45,000, while the
median was $22,900 for those without a high school diploma or its equivalent,
$30,000 for those with a high school diploma or its equivalent, and $37,000 for
those with an associate's degree. In other words, young adults with a
bachelor's degree earned almost twice as much as those without a high school
diploma or its equivalent (97 percent more), 50 percent more than young adult
high school completers, and 21 percent more than young adults with an
associate's degree. Additionally, in 2011, the median of earnings for young
adults with a master's degree or higher was $59,200, some 32 percent more than
the median for young adults with a bachelor's degree (source).
For more information,
please see:
State-level data resource page: Links to selected publications and websites that
provide state-by-state information on achievement, attainment, demographics,
enrollment, finances and teachers at the elementary, secondary, and
postsecondary levels.
Projections of Education Statistics: This report provides projections for key education
statistics, including enrollment, graduates, teachers, and expenditures in
elementary and secondary schools.
U.S. Department of
Education program and budget information can be found here.
Question:
How much
money does the United States spend on public elementary and secondary schools?
Response:
Total
expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools in the United States
amounted to $638 billion in 2009-10, or about $12,743 per public school
student. These expenditures include $11,184 per student in current expenditures
for operation of schools; $1,182 for capital outlay (i.e., expenditures for
property and for buildings and alterations completed by school district staff
or contractors); and $376 for interest on school debt. Expenditures are
reported in constant 2011-12 dollars, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
From 1999-2000 to
2009-10, current expenditures per student enrolled in the fall increased by 20
percent, compared with a 44 percent increase for interest on school debt per
student in fall enrollment. Much of the increase in current expenditures
occurred during the early part of the period, with current expenditures per
student increasing by 1 percent from 2007-08 to 2009-10. There was a 5 percent
decrease in capital outlay expenditures per student overall from 1999-2000 to
2009-10. Over that period, however, these expenditures actually increased until
2007-08 (when they reached $1,449 in constant 2011-12 dollars), after which
they began to decrease, ending up at $1,182 in 2009-10.
Total expenditures
per student in fall enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools, in
constant 2011-12 dollars, by type of total expenditures: 1999-2000, 2005-06,
and 2009-10
NOTE: "Current expenditures," "Capital
outlay," and "Interest on school debt" are subcategories of
"Total expenditures." "Capital outlay" includes
expenditures for property and for buildings and alterations completed by school
district staff or contractors. Expenditures are reported in constant 2011-12
dollars, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for
Education Statistics. (2013). The Condition of Education 2013 (NCES
2013-037), Public School Expenditures.
Related Tables and Figures: (Listed by Release Date)
Other Resources: (Listed
by Release Date)
