Spending in HWRSD in FY 2010 was only slightly above the State average. In FY 2010, the last completed fiscal year, HWRSD spent $1.7M more (6.3%) than the average district in the State, or $850 per pupil. This chart (below) shows how our spending compares to the other 327 school districts in MA.
FY 2010 Per Pupil Spending - 328 MA School
But when HWRSD is compared to the average FY 2010 spending of the 25 other schools that made the Boston Magazine’s top public high school list (remember, we were No. 12), HWRSD spent about $840 less per pupil — around median for the group. Cutting $4M out of our school spending, as has been suggested, would take us substantially below average and near the bottom of these comparables.
Boston Magazine's Top 25 - 2010 (Click image to enlarge)
The question becomes, do we want an average school system or a competitive school system?
