Growls

Mike Antonucci, director of the Education Intelligence Agency, has completed updating his school district enrollment, hiring, and spending tables for the 13,836 operating public school districts in the United States based upon data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Education Week says, “Antonucci scrutinizes the teachers' unions, sparking praise from some people and scorn from others.”

The tables enable you to compare how enrollment, hiring, and spending changed from 2001-02 to 2006-07. Highlighted below are the percentage changes for the public school systems for the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, and Loudoun as well as Virginia and the United States:

• Change in Enrollment Since 2001-02: United States 2.7%, Virginia 5.0%, Fairfax 2.1%, Prince William 22.3%, Loudoun 45.7%, and Arlington <3.4%>.

• Change in K-12 Teachers Since 2001-02: United States 5.0%, Virginia 21.3%, Fairfax 8.7%. Prince William 60.7%, Loudoun 100.2%, and Arlington 8.3%.

• Change in Per Pupil Spending Since 2001-02: United States 25.5%, Virginia 36.1%, Fairfax 38.2%, Prince William 37.9%, Loudoun 39.2%, and Arlington 46.8%.

• Change in Amount Spent on Compensation Since 2001-02: United States 24.5%, Virginia 36.1%, Fairfax 38.4%, Prince William 38.6%, Loudoun 41.8%, and Arlington 47.0%.

I’m reminded of something a news reporter who covered Fairfax County perhaps 15-20 years ago told me. He said parents there would dreamily talk of the wonderful programs they could have if the Fairfax County Public Schools had as much to spend as the Arlington Public Schools.