As schools draw up their proposed 2013-14 budgets, how can the you figure out which districts are providing the most bang for the taxpayers’ bucks? Experts say go straight to the basics: grades, graduation rates and stewardship of the taxpayers’ money. Don’t just look at one year, but at district spending policies over several years.
- Look at the affordability of houses in the district.
- How much are the property taxes?
- What percentage of students graduate from high school?
- How well do students perform on state tests?
- Does the district regularly maintain its buildings? Or does it put off maintenance allowing problems to grow until a massive renovation is needed?
- Are buses replaced on a regular schedule?
- Does the district have an agreement to buy its energy in bulk?
- Does it join with other districts for purchasing?
- Does the district share services with BOCES or with other districts as a way to cut costs?
- Does it offer long-distance learning for some specialized courses?
More information is available at https://reportcards.nysed.gov/