The eduction racket exposed

No bang for the buck

By BRENDAN SCOTT in Utica, NY, and CARL CAMPANILE in NYC

New York state's school systems deserve an F -- in financial accountability.

State taxpayers spend substantially more money on education than any other state in the nation but get far less in return on their investment, according to a shocking new federal study released yesterday.

New York schools on average spent $18,126 per student in the 2008-2009 school year -- tops in the nation, the Census Bureau reports.

That's nearly $2,000 more than the $16,271 spent in neighboring New Jersey and 80 percent higher than the national average of $10,499.

But the Empire State's four-year high-school graduation rate of 73.5 percent ranked a lowly 39th in the nation, two points below the national average, according to a separate analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics.

By comparison, Massachusetts -- which spends $4,000 less per student -- has an 83 percent graduation rate.

New York has doubled its per-student spending over 10 years. For five consecutive years the state has spent the most per student in the nation.

Despite its low standing, New York has seen some notable improvements. The four-year high-school graduation rate has increased from 62.5 percent in 1999 to 73.5 percent 10 years later. Much of that increase occurred in New York City under Mayor Bloomberg and then-schools boss Joel Klein.

Gov. Cuomo said the findings justified his drive to trim education spending by $1.2 billion last month to balance the state budget. During budget presentations across the state, he pointed out the disparity between school spending and performance.

"We spend too much money and we get too few results," Cuomo said at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica yesterday when asked about the Census report.

"It's not just that we spend too much money. It's that we spend too much money and the system isn't performing for the students," he said.

"This isn't about building an educational bureaucracy. The question shouldn't be 'How much more money?' It should be 'How much more results? How much more performance? How much more achievement?' That's what the focus should be. Not throwing money at the problem," he said.

One main reason for New York's sky-high spending is it pays its teachers significantly more in salaries and benefits than any other state.

New York spent $12,524 per student to cover instructional salaries and benefits, nearly double the national average of $6,369. Even New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts spent $3,000 less per student than New York did on teacher pay and benefits.

Bloomberg, locked in a nasty dispute with the teachers union over potential layoffs and accountability measures, insisted schools are not underfunded.

Said spokesman Marc LaVorgna: "The mayor dramatically increased education investments in this city to turn around a school system that was broken for decades. The problem does not lie in our classroom spending, but in the inflexible mandated education costs imposed by the state -- particularly pension costs."