Posted June 1, 2010

While many of Washington’s small school districts spend significantly more per pupil than the statewide average, those districts account for only a small amount of total school district expenditures in the state. And, not all small districts have high expenditures per pupil.

Those are key findings in a preliminary report recently published by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee, a bipartisan agency that conducts performance audits, program evaluations, sunset reviews, and other analyses for the State Legislature.

The study, requested by the Legislature in 2009, is intended to review the relationship between school district size and enrollment costs. The review is associated with recent debates over proposals to force consolidation of some school districts in the state.

Draft results of the study, issued in May, concluded that the highest expenditures per FTE pupil are found in small school districts, although districts vary greatly in how much their spending exceeds the statewide average. And, districts identified as well above the average account for only 2.5 percent of total 2007-08 school district expenditures in Washington. (The study defines small districts as those with less than 1,000 students.)

The report also noted that higher expenditures are driven by state funding formulas to ensure small schools have adequate teaching staff.

In providing comments on the preliminary findings, WSSDA urged the authors to provide more context around the unique financial circumstances of small school districts. The association also emphasized that the consequences of forced consolidations would negate the minimal financial benefits.

"As consolidation is raised as a possible solution to capture these minimal savings, we argue the added cost of transportation and the additional administrative costs of accomplishing those efforts would likely consume most of the savings," said WSSDA President Kevin Laverty. "The disruption and confusion within communities and the potential negative impacts on students and student achievement would far outweigh the limited possible cost savings."

The draft report steers clear of identifying an "optimal" size for school districts, saying the research is inconclusive. It does, however, describe a number of nonfinancial benefits of small schools/districts, including higher graduation rates, comparable college performance, additional opportunities for student activities, greater teacher collaboration and increased parental involvement.

In its concluding comments, WSSDA again reminded state policymakers that decisions about district consolidation should be made by locally and not mandated from Olympia—and that those decisions should be based on the best interests of the affected students and not judged on finances alone.

JLARC is scheduled to finalize the report at its June 16 meeting in Olympia. The full report can be found on the Legislature’s website at www.leg.wa.gov/JLARC.

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