I am the chairperson on the School Community Based Council for Sunset Beach
Elementary School. I am responding to some of the information on your site
about the Department of Education and the demand for an audit.
The total budget for the 2008-2009 school year is $2.4 billion. With about
173,000 students statewide this is calculates out to be $13,800 per student.
The weighted student formula budget for the school year 2008-2009 per
student is $4,100. That is for the average student without any special
needs or other exceptions such as low income etc.
What is actually getting to the local school level to pay for the teachers
salaries with their new raises, principal, and non-certified staff,
electricity, phones, school books and other supplies is only 30% of the
total budget.
Basically, by the time it reaches the children to be used and
the real education to begin, 70% of all the monies are gone. This is
incredible. This overwhelmingly justifies an audit.
Heidi Dowd can be reached at mailto:HeidiKean@hawaii.rr.com
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