Currently, SDUSD is spending $9,846 per student. A good (not elite) private school cost about $9-10k. With this cost, the class size range for 10-1 to 20-1 teachers to student ratio. This is from K-12 we’re talking about here. So, yeah, if it’s about class size, offer a $9846 yearly voucher to parents and their kids can have class size between 10-20 per teacher depending on grade. Sounds like an easy win IMHO.[/quote]
AN,
I do not mean to be picky especially since the number you quote here comes from CAR, but the cost per pupil at SDUSD is not $9846 per student. If you read into the way that the data is presented in the website CAR used, only the most direct costs are used to calculate that figure. This is like someone saying that the $1,000,000 house they bought with 0 down only costs $600 per month because all they are counting are the utility bills.
A number that is equally valid (and equally incorrect) is $1,900,000,000(the 2013/14 budget)/135000 students = $14,075 per student. And this number is probably closer to the truth.
My main point is that when someone brings data to a discussion (CAR) please bring honest data.[/quote]
I did bring honest data. Please link your source so we can dissect it more. The public school number you’ve posted probably includes some major infrastructure and interest on bond payments, among many other indirect costs. Many private schools are attached to churches, so you’d have to take into consideration the payments made by the church for their building infrastructure, too. Also, your number for SD Unified might include things like busing, which most private schools don’t provide.
BTW, while I appreciate AN’s number, the private schools around in the better parts of North County cost anywhere from $20K to $35K/year. They have fundraising requirements *in addition to this.* They also tend to have more wealthy donors who will pay for significant portions of the schools’ buildings, etc. (with naming rights). While public schools might have fundraisers, they aren’t the same as those in the better private schools where the wealthier parents are expected to give much more than $50 or $100 per year.
