Spending per student on rise in Warren, Hunterdon high schools, N.J. Department of Education says

The annual comparative spending guide breaks down how much schools around the state spent per pupil in the 2009-10 school year and ranks them relative to similar-sized districts.

Six of the 11 high school districts and vocational technical schools in Warren and Hunterdon counties ranked in the higher-spending half of their respective categories.

They are South Hunterdon Regional, Hunterdon Central Regional, North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional, Delaware Valley Regional, Phillipsburg and Hackettstown.

What that means is a matter of perception, said Warren County Executive Superintendent Kevin Brennan.

A high cost per student could indicate a district's inefficiency, or the opportunities it presents to students. The inverse could be said for low-spending districts.

"I think it becomes a personal issue, what one feels is most important," Brennan said. "I step back and see, at the end of the day, what are they able to show by their spending?"

School districts are compared in the report based on the grade levels they offer and, in some cases, the number of students enrolled.

The amount spent per student among the two counties' high schools, for the most part, rose between the 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years.

The highest per student spending in the two counties -- South Hunterdon Regional High School, at $21,789 per student -- was also the highest in the state in its category covering 47 districts that offer either grades 7 to 12 or grades 9 to 12.

With 338 students enrolled in the 2008-09 school year, South Hunterdon also had the lowest enrollment of those examined.

Many factors go into the report's numbers, Brennan said. Changes in a school's enrollment or administration structure could alter their perceived efficiency.

According to state Department of Education enrollment figures from 2008-09, the latest available, several of the area's high schools saw slight declines in their enrollment.

Fewer students -- combined with rising fixed costs such as transportation, energy and contractual obligations -- create higher per pupil costs, officials said.

"You need to appreciate (the state's figures) are not the be-all and end-all," Brennan said, though the numbers are considered in his office's examination of schools' operations.

"I think sometimes what you're watching is the ebb and flow of spending," he said.

Looking back to 2007-08, Phillipsburg was the only high school that saw the cost per student drop overall -- a reduction of $661 per student -- through 2009-10, according to the education department's guide.

Increases from 2007-08 through 2009-10 ranged from $69 at Warren County Technical School to more than $3,000 at Hunterdon County Polytech Career Academy.

Hunterdon Polytech still had the lowest cost per student, $9,664, of all the state's 21 vocational technical schools.

New Jersey Education Commissioner Brett Schundler said the report aims to help people understand their district's finances, especially with school elections coming April 20. The guide measures efficiency, not academic achievement, he said.

"In this year of very limited resources, it is imperative that district officials and citizens closely examine the use of every education dollar," Schundler said.