📉 Is There a Correlation Between Spending & Performance?
In the case of Custer County School District, the data says:
💰 Spending
- Total education budget: $14.2 million
- Students: ~870
- That’s over $16,000 per student, above the national average.
🎓 Academic Performance
- Proficiency:
- Math: ~51%
- English: ~54%
- Science: ~53%
➡️ Conclusion: Despite high per-student spending, less than 55% of students are proficient in core subjects.
📊 What That Means:
- There’s no direct link between spending and results in this case.
- The district has ample funding, yet half the students aren’t meeting grade-level expectations.
- It suggests a systemic inefficiency — money is being spent, but not effectively translating into learning.
🧠 So Where’s the Disconnect?
- Lack of accountability in results-based budgeting.
- Spending may focus on admin, facilities, or non-academic programs.
- No performance incentives or outcome-based tracking for improvement.
- Minimal transparency in how dollars are tied to student success.
🔁 Real Talk:
“If a private tutor charged $16,000 per student and half their clients failed to improve, would you keep paying them?”
Public schools need transparency and accountability the same way.