I'VE DONE SOME CHECKING

I've found a few interesting items:

• Dollars spent per student in a school district does not mean better test scores. La Crosse, for instance, spends over $12,000 per pupil and their test scores are not any higher and, in some cases lower.
• West Bend, Slinger and Kewaskum all spend about the same per pupil (it looks like Slinger spends the least and has among the best scores in the area).
• Germantown spends more per pupil but is not a self-insured district. That means they spend millions more on insurance for their teachers and administrators by using WEA Trust. If we calculate what West Bend saves per pupil by self-insuring their staff we would be very close in terms of dollars spent per pupil. (I am attempting to get details on the amount saved by self-insuring from the West Bend School District but they are not giving me that information. I do know though that it is in the millions of dollars)

Yes, schools need money to run, but does MORE money mean BETTER schools? It does not appear so................

For the Community of West Bend,

David Weigand