Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr
GRADING THE SCHOOLS
HOWARD MANNING JR.
Guest Commentator
POOR ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES HURTS CMS
Published Dec. 9, 2004
Edited excerpts from a Nov. 10 memo by Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. of Raleigh to lawyers representing plaintiffs and the state in the decade-old Leandro lawsuit over school funding adequacy:
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The 2004 Public School Forum preliminary report shows that per pupil spending dollars from Mecklenburg County is $2,403 per pupil. At 23 students per classroom, the local funds per classroom would result in $55,269 in local money per classroom with 23 students. CMS ranks fourth in local spending per pupil.
I compared CMS with Wake County Schools high school performance record for 2003-2004. The 2004 Public School Forum preliminary report shows that the level of per pupil spending from Wake County local funds is at $1,849 per pupil. At 23 students per classroom, the local funds per class would result in $42,527 in local money per classroom with 23 students. Wake ranks 11th in local spending per pupil. Wake spends $12,742 less per classroom than Mecklenburg, yet its high school composite scores are head and shoulders above Mecklenburg.
Poor performance in multiple schools when an LEA has plenty of funds as compared to other LEAs that are performing well would, initially at least, tend to indicate a management problem in the LEA arising out of its allocation of the system’s human resources (principals, teachers and staff development) in those schools that are failing to achieve.
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http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/12390850.htm