INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT'S WEEKLY MESSAGE
Dr. Debbi C. Burdick
Happy New Year and welcome back! This week, I want to take a few moments to explain a term that is often misunderstood when it comes to describing the percentage of district funds spent on and in classrooms called "Classroom Dollar Percentage."
The classroom dollar percentage is calculated using terms defined by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Only current expenditures are included in the calculation. Current expenditures are those incurred for the school district's day-to-day operation and do not include costs associated with repaying debts, capital outlays (including purchasing land, buildings and equipment), or programs, such as adult education and community services, that are not associated with twelfth grade through pre-kindergarten education. The classroom dollar percentage is calculated by determining a numerator (classroom dollars) and a denominator (classroom plus non-classroom dollars) using only current expenditures. Classroom dollars are those spent for instructional purposes as defined by NCES and include the following:
Classroom dollars
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Classroom personnel - teachers, teacher's aides and substitute teachers
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General instructional supplies - paper, pencils, crayons, etc.
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Instructional aids - textbooks, workbooks, software, films, etc.
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Activities: field trips, athletics and co-curricular activities such as choir and band
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Tuition - paid to out-of-state and private institutions (Special Education)
Current expenditures that are not considered instructional and therefore not in the classroom, include the following:
Non-classroom dollars
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Administration - Superintendents, principals, business managers, clerical and other staff who perform accounting, payroll, purchasing, warehousing, printing, human resource activities and information technology services
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Plant operations and management - heating and cooling, equipment repair, grounds keeping and security
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Food Services - costs of preparing and serving meals and snacks
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Transportation - costs of transporting students to and from school and school activities
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Instructional staff support services - librarians, teacher training and curriculum
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Student support services - counselors, speech pathologists and nurses
It is vital to understand that it takes both the direct and indirect classroom dollars to educate our students. Our goal is to maximize the amount of funds that we spend in our classrooms while providing the necessary support to our students.
Debbi Burdick
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