Average per pupil costs across New Jersey rise, expenses fall in Phillipsburg

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
By SARAH M. WOJCIK
The Express-Times

While New Jersey school district officials wring their hands awaiting state aid numbers, state data released Tuesday offer a glimpse into how districts spent tax money during the past few years.

The average per-pupil costs in kindergarten-through-12th-grade districts rose by $1,003 from the 2007-08 school year to 2008-09 -- an average of nearly 8 percent, according to the New Jersey School Report Card. Per-pupil spending averaged $13,601 in 2008-09 statewide.

The only local district to buck the trend was Phillipsburg School District, where per-pupil spending dropped from $14,942 in 2007-08 to $13,585 last school year.

Willa Spicer, deputy commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Education, acknowledged the statewide climb in spending during a call-in news conference but said further analysis is necessary to unearth a source for the rise.

Most Warren County school districts followed the state's trend upward in per-pupil spending. The total includes instructional, administrative, extracurricular and service costs. It does not include the district's tuition costs or transportation expenses.

Phillipsburg Assistant Superintendent George Chando said the data demonstrate the effects of staff cuts and administrative restructuring in the school district.

"We certainly didn't want to make any cuts, but it was out of necessity to address the shortfalls in funding," Chando said.

The percentage of what the district set aside for teacher salary and benefits fell by 5 percent from 2007-08 to 2008-09, while the statewide average rose 7 percent. Similarly, the percentage allocated for administration salaries and benefits fell 3 percent, while the state average climbed 4 percent.

In K-12 districts in Warren County, Phillipsburg School District spent the most per pupil last year at $13,585, though that figure was still below the state average. Belvidere School District's per-pupil expenses saw the biggest jump from one year to the next when spending rose by $1,531 from 2007-08 to 2008-09 after climbing only about $600 from the prior school year.

Hackettstown Superintendent Bob Gratz said the data present a snapshot of district finances for comparison with the state. He noted that Hackettstown allocated $557 for extracurricular costs last year compared with the state's average of $250.

Gratz said the district works hard to ensure students have ample after-school opportunities ranging from drama to sports, especially in high school.

"Without those activities, high school would not be high school," Gratz said.

Two of Hunterdon County's largest high school districts, Delaware Valley Regional and North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional, spent more per pupil than the state average for similar districts.

Both of those districts, however, spent a smaller percentage on teacher salary and benefits than the state average. North Hunterdon-Voorhees, which spent about $2,000 per pupil more than the state last school year, also allocated 1 percentage point less for administrative salary and benefits than the statewide average of 8 percent.

Delaware Valley Regional Superintendent Elizabeth Nastus said the district uses the data to examine efficiency.

"It shows we are spending less and doing more," Nastus said.