Education spending skyrockets while test scores still disappoint

Despite a struggling economy and a backlog of unpaid bills, per-pupil education spending in Illinois rose to an all-time high this year. Instructional expenditures per pupil – costs associated with teaching – reached $6,284, a 46-percent increase since 2002. Operating expenditures per pupil – costs associated with operating a school district – rose to $11,664,...

Despite a struggling economy and a backlog of unpaid bills, per-pupil education spending in Illinois rose to an all-time high this year.

Instructional expenditures per pupil – costs associated with teaching – reached $6,284, a 46-percent increase since 2002.

Operating expenditures per pupil – costs associated with operating a school district – rose to $11,664, a 47-percent increase during the same time period.

Salary costs for teachers and administrators also grew. The average teacher in Illinois made $66,614 this year – an increase of 34 percent since 2002. The average administrator took home $110,870 – an increase of 26 percent during the same time period.

Unfortunately, the extra spending did not dramatically improve scores on the ISAT or the PSAE – the tests the state uses to see if schools have made adequate yearly progress

Chicago spending growth mimics the state. Instructional expenditures per pupil reached $8,235 in 2012 – an increase of 58 percent since 2002. Operating expenditures per pupil grew to $13,616 – an increase of 62 percent during the same time period.

Teachers’ salaries averaged $74,990 – a 48-percent increase since 2002, while administrator salaries grew 22 percent during the same period, though they have decreased in recent years.