OCR Text |
Show hrrecsses era School Costs Oy.feed by Foundation Approximately 43 per cent of the increase in public school operating costs during dur-ing the past ten years is accounted ac-counted for by greater school attendance and by inflation wiih the remaining 57 per cent of the expenditure rise being the result of other factors, fac-tors, including the rise cf teacher salary levels and the expansion of services and programs. This was the conclusion expressed ex-pressed in an analysis of public school 'expenditures just released by Utah Foundation, Foun-dation, the private governmental govern-mental research agency. The Foundation study shows that a total expenditures for the public, schools rose from $84,655,272 in 1957-58 to $193,-294,265 $193,-294,265 in 1967-63, an increase of $1G8.6 million or 128 per cent during the ten-year period. per-iod. Of this total increase, maintenance and operations accounted for $91.9 million, with rises in interest costs, capital outlay, and the school lunch program resulting ir; the balance of the ten-year rise in school expenditures. Among the major elements cited by the Foundation report re-port in the increase in public school operating costs during the past decade are the following: fol-lowing: Average daily attendance in the schools rose 44.7 per cent during the ten-year period. per-iod. This accounted for $24.6 million, or 27 per cent, of the increase in school operating oper-ating expenditures. Between 1958 and 1968 the cost of living rose about 19 per cent. This resulted in higher costs of $15.1 million or 16 per cent of the operating operat-ing expenditure rise. Salaries are a major element ele-ment in school costs. All sel-ary sel-ary levels, including those of teachers, have been rising faster than the cost of living. Approximately $14 million, or fafteen per cent of the total increase in school operating costs during the past decade is attributable " to teacher salary increases beyond cost of living changes. chang-es. Since 1958 the average pupil-teacher ratio in Utah has declined by 12 per cent. This accounts for about $7.5 million mil-lion or 8 per cent of the expenditure ex-penditure rise during the ten year period. The remaining $30.8 million or 33 per cent of school jp-erating jp-erating cost increases during dur-ing the past decade is the result of a variety of factors including (1) broadened ser- , vices provided by more supervisory, sup-ervisory, and guidance personnel, pers-onnel, (2) enlarged social security se-curity and retirement programs pro-grams for school personnel (3) new programs many of which were instituted by the Federal Goverment during the past few years, and (4) other costs such as maintenance mainten-ance and plant operation expenses ex-penses which have been rising ris-ing faster than the living cost. The Foundation study noted not-ed that despite the large increase in-crease in school expenditures during the, past ten years, Utah has not improved its relative position when compared com-pared with other states in expenditures per pupil and in average salary levels for in-structural in-structural personnel. |