Auditor analyzes spending in our classrooms

The Washington state auditor has released the annual
report on public school spending, but this year they are
not just looking at how we are spending our money. The
report also includes recommendations on how more money
could be shifted to the classroom.

“The auditor went to the districts that are doing better
with delivering money to teaching and asked how they were
doing that,” says Liv Finne, Director of the Washington
Policy Center.

The audit finds that overall, Washington is spending a
little less than the national average on instruction per
student. Although, the numbers vary widely from district
to district. For example, about 66% of school funding
goes to the classroom in Bellevue while just 59% does in
Seattle.

“Just one percent shift can represent $100 million and
that can go toward hiring as many as a thousand new
teachers,” says Finne.

You can find out (pdf) how your
district is doing and read the
auditor’s findings on improving the focus of school
spending.