AUBURN, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — Recently, results of a syracuse.com article tracking the “per pupil” spending rate for each of the elementary, middle, and high schools in the Syracuse area have parents discussing the dynamics of properly educating a child in Central New York.
The study listed Remsen Junior-Senior High in Oneida County as the most-resourced school, spending almost $35,000 on each of its 179 pupils. Union Springs Middle, in the Finger Lakes region, was calculated as the least resourced, totaling just $7,135 spent on average for their 173 kids. Expeditionary Learning Middle School was the most resourced within Syracuse city limits, coming in over $23,000 spent per pupil.
While the numbers did draw an interesting picture, parents say the numbers need to be considered in context, in relation to student population size and the skewing of the study to smaller, more rural schools.
However, the study sparked the discussion and exploration of other educational topics, including the privatization of school funding and access to quality public school education based on state, with many parents viewing New York as on the high-quality end of public education systems.
“That’s why, when people complain about taxes, I’m like, ‘Well, you can move to other areas of the country,'” said Mike Waters, parent of two graduates of the West Genesee school district. “And I’m not going to name them, but yeah, you’re not going to pay taxes, but if you have kids, you’ll have to pay that same money to send them to a private school.”
Meanwhile, for Auburn-area social worker Taylor Emmi, a single parent to a rising 10th grader at Auburn High, she says there no other way to ensure your child’s success like personal involvement in the process.
“You need to stay involved. Like, I’m one of those moms, the teacher may hate hearing from me, but I’m going to stay involved. I want to know what’s going on, with their school work, how they are in school, I want to know all of that.”
Transcript
Josh Crawford: Within the Syracuse metro area, the debate on educational spending is heating up. A recent Syracuse.com report reveals a wide disparity in the amount spent per student across the metro’s 300 plus schools.
Josh Crawford: I spoke with a variety of parents across the metro area to get their perspective on their educational journey, the journey for their children, and how they feel their children’s schools have hurt or helped.
Josh Crawford: The numbers tell a story of inequality and challenge. School size and n, whether rural or city-based, adds variable and context to the rankings, but there is the opportunity for community outreach and effort regardless.
Even for Trey Walewski, lifelong CNY resident and father of two graduates from Auburn’s school district, there was a shock in finding out about purported underfunding for Auburn High, the biggest high school in the district, with over eleven hundred students.
Trey Walewski: “[inaudible noise] It’s kind of shocking, you know what I mean?”
Josh Crawford: Parents and educators alike, such as Mike Waters, parent and adjunct professor at S-U, are calling for a closer look at how funds are allocated and the direct impact on student success.
Mike Waters: “What would be really interesting to me is like, what’s your average teacher salary? You get quality teachers in there, you retain teachers, that probably, that would be really revealing.”
Josh Crawford: Others, like Taylor Emmi, a single-parent and an Auburn area social worker, feel that taking matters into their own hands is the only way to guarantee success.
Taylor Emmi: “You need to stay involved. Like, I’m one of those moms, the teacher may hate hearing from me, but I’m going to stay involved, I want to know what’s going on, with their school work, how they are in school, I want to know all of that.”