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March 15, 2011

Funding Formula: Dollars per Student

Marc Comtois

New Warwick School Committee member Eugene Nadeau has been quoted in the ProJo and stated this morning on the WPRO Morning News that he is against the new School Funding formula:

Eugene Nadeau, a member of the Warwick School Committee, said the formula is a “sweetheart deal” for Providence, which he said will receive five times as much aid as his school district.

“We have to subsidize the Pawtuckets and the Providences,” he told about 30 colleagues from around the state. “We’re being short-changed. It’s an abomination.”

Based on the latest information I could gather from various sources, here is the per pupil state subsidy for Rhode Island public school students using the new formula:

DistrictTotal StudentsFY 2012 FundingPer Student
Central Falls2848$41,811,218 $14,680.91
Providence23573$182,710,182 $7,750.82
Woonsocket6110$44,999,994 $7,364.97
Pawtucket8886$63,214,367 $7,113.93
West Warwick3520$19,047,703 $5,411.28
Bristol Warren3474$18,410,883 $5,299.62
Burrillville2460$12,590,521 $5,118.10
Newport2037$10,231,545 $5,022.85
Glocester584$2,874,344 $4,921.82
Foster274$1,236,720 $4,513.58
East Providence5638$24,725,686 $4,385.54
Foster-Glocester1296$5,374,297 $4,146.83
Chariho3528$13,705,701 $3,884.84
North Providence3278$12,163,986 $3,710.79
Middletown2407$8,867,743 $3,684.15
Exeter-West Greenwich1805$6,599,824 $3,656.41
Coventry5311$18,623,507 $3,506.59
Warwick10261$33,718,511 $3,286.08
Johnston3083$10,033,085 $3,254.33
Cranston10738$33,589,074 $3,128.06
Tiverton1906$5,201,024 $2,728.76
Cumberland4846$12,654,496 $2,611.33
North Smithfield1764$4,551,639 $2,580.29
South Kingstown3527$8,579,666 $2,432.57
North Kingstown4409$10,710,031 $2,429.13
Lincoln3301$6,795,044 $2,058.48
Smithfield2467$4,812,133 $1,950.60
Westerly3098$5,975,377 $1,928.79
Scituate1628$3,081,712 $1,892.94
Portsmouth2796$5,132,335 $1,835.60
Narragansett1479$1,457,333 $985.35
Little Compton309$275,529 $891.68
Jamestown492$382,657 $777.76
Barrington3498$2,467,090 $705.29
East Greenwich2398$1,436,872 $599.20
New Shoreham128$65,960 $515.31

Here is the per student subsidy for Charter schools:


DistrictTotal StudentsFY 2012 FundingPer Student
Trinity34$708,398 $20,835.24
Met School650$12,027,542 $18,503.91
Davies C&T 816$13,960,522 $17,108.48
Blackstone Valley256$3,849,492 $15,037.08
Segue Institute140$1,746,233 $12,473.09
Times 2 Academy650$6,981,187 $10,740.29
Learning Community471$5,054,820 $10,732.10
Textron213$2,271,088 $10,662.38
Paul Cuffee559$5,904,155 $10,561.99
Blackstone164$1,589,968 $9,694.93
Highlander282$2,682,140 $9,511.13
International312$2,934,630 $9,405.87
Beacon224$1,880,544 $8,395.29
Greene School81$654,585 $8,081.30
NE Laborers218$1,728,789 $7,930.22
Kingston Hill179$727,305 $4,063.16
Compass153$616,322 $4,028.25

The state has different obligations (ie; basically foots the entire bill) for some charter schools and, for instance, Central Falls, largely because the formula takes into account a variety of factors related to the economic makeup of the district/student population (PowerPoint).

SOURCES: Providence Journal Funding Formula Chart, RIDE Statistics, Schoolfinder at Education.com (Textron and Times 2 student population), Schooldigger.com (NE Laborers Academy student population).

Comments

"Eugene Nadeau, a member of the Warwick School Committee, said the formula is a “sweetheart deal” for Providence, which he said will receive five times as much aid as his school district."

Where's Politifact when you need them?

Posted by: Patrick at March 15, 2011 5:33 PM

"Where's Politifact when you need them?"

They're not looking at "Ms.Debbie's" Resume and her "sweetheart" deal with the Stat, that's for sure.

How many Rhode Islandr's know that they are paying for her PhD at an out of state school?

How many know that she has taught a toal of 8 years in grades 1, 2 and 3?

Absolutely ZERO track record at the Secondary level where all the problems are!!!

In Washington, DC she was a fundraiser for Michele Rhee!!! DC's schools? A shambles, before, during and after her tenure there!!! What is her record of accomplishment?

Oh, that's right. She was "Teacher of the Year"! Not at the State level! Not at the District level! But at one of her ELEMENTARY Schools. Talk about inflating her resume...

The woman is a fraud and a sham, yet the Projo doesn't want to provide the taxpayers of RI with a clear picture regarding her background!!


Posted by: Aldo at March 15, 2011 6:08 PM

"We have to subsidize the Pawtuckets and the Providences"

And the Pawtuckets and Providences have to host you seat of government, your hospitals, your universities, and hordes of sick and elderly in towers. We also host the core area where the actual wealth-creation is happening (the downtown area).

I suggest Mr. Nadeau contemplate what his district would look like if Providence wasn't pulling so much weight for it.

This is just how funding formulas work, there's a reason every single state except for RI has one.

Posted by: mangeek at March 15, 2011 6:42 PM

It says a lot about Rhode Island's education establishment, none of it good, that a mediocrity like Deborah Gist stands head and shoulders above the rest of the players.

Posted by: BobN at March 15, 2011 8:59 PM

Wow, this is a rough week between me and mangeek...

"And the Pawtuckets and Providences have to host you seat of government, your hospitals, your universities, and hordes of sick and elderly in towers"

And Warwick hosts your airport. Which one brings more money to state's tax rolls, the airport or the universities, hospitals and elderly housing?

Posted by: Patrick at March 16, 2011 8:58 AM

Wrong question, Patrick. The question is, which city has more tax exempt property? The alternative (a bad one, imho), let Providence tax the universities and hospitals, state government buildings, maybe even institute a commuter tax like in NYC.

(btw, by far it's the universities and hospitals, although I don't intend to minimize the vital importance of TF Greene to the region.)

Posted by: Russ at March 16, 2011 12:21 PM

Russ, are you saying you believe that the hospitals and colleges pay more in taxes than the airport? I don't know what the answer is, but with the tax exempt status, I'd think the airport can come pretty close.

Posted by: Patrick at March 16, 2011 1:52 PM

", this is a rough week between me and mangeek..."

I've decided that, about a week ago, Mangeek must have been hijacked by a leftie space alien at which point he got turned into a tax-happy progressive pod person. ;)

Posted by: Monique at March 16, 2011 11:23 PM