In order to reduce spending, Warren County Board of Education members decided to close Youngsville High School, above, and Sheffield High School.
Education comes at a high cost to taxpayers. And some are starting to speak up about it.
According to the Commonwealth Foundation, Pennsylvania school districts increased overall revenue collected in 2023-24 to $23,000 per student, while expanding general fund reserves to $7.4 billion, according to new data released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education last week.
These increases come at a time when public schools have continually seen enrollment decline, they continue to enjoy increased funding, leading almost every district to pad its reserves.
“The education crisis at hand is not a result of underfunding but a consequence of funding schools instead of students,” said Elizabeth Stelle, vice president of policy for the Commonwealth Foundation, in a statement. “Throwing more money at the problem has not and will not save our students from failing schools. Students are stuck in the school district assigned to their ZIP code, regardless of whether that district performs well.”
Data released comes on the heels of the latest published student achievement scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which exposed the depth of Pennsylvania’s education crisis — 69 percent of the state’s eighth graders cannot read or do math at grade level.
This year, data predates another massive increase in the 2024-25 state budget. State support of public schools reached an all-time high of $16.8 billion, an increase of 66% over the last decade.
Here in Warren County, the budget for next year is $93.9 million. There is no tax increase planned, but the school board made a difficult decision in January. It decided to close high schools in Sheffield and Youngsville. That means only two remain — Warren Area High School and Eisenhower in Russell.
Warren County does not vote on its budget and the decision to reduce buildings was highly contentious in a 5-4 vote by the school board. Declining enrollments and rising costs drove what some consider an unpopular choice.
On the other side of the border, spending is more out of control.
According to New York state budget projections, state aid to all of the 18 Chautauqua County districts for next year total $357 million — from $95 million in Jamestown to $7.3 million in Ripley. All the other 16 districts are in between. Overall, the total price tag for educating 16,641 students tops $450 million — and that does not even begin to take into account the Board of Cooperative Educational Services spending, which is more than $35 million.
Spending per student is nearly $30,000 there — and no schools are being closed.
But, New York state residents decide on school spending in budget votes. The event that takes place on Tuesday gives you a glance into our neighboring high-tax state.
Since 2019 when a budget in Clymer failed, every school budget — including those with tax increases has passed. New Yorkers may complain about high costs, but through those trips to the polls, it is evident they endorse the high spending.
Nationally, inflation continues to be a major concern though recent indicators are signaling that prices are coming down in some sectors. In New York state, a school budget defeat does not mean the plan does not go into effect. It means a portion of the budget — about 2% — is reduced.
Though that number represents a soft slice of the expenses, it does send a louder message that is almost just as significant. Spending needs to be reined in — and it needs to start now.
John D’Agostino is the editor of Times Observer, The Post-Journal and the OBSERVER in Dunkirk, N.Y. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 814-723-8200, ext. 253.