WTA: School costs 8.5% above national average

The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance reports that school costs in Wisconsin rank 14th highest in the U.S., 8.5 percent more than the national average.

Wisconsin spent $10,190 per student, with 60.4 percent of those costs for instruction, which is near the national average of 60.2 percent. Spending in all but one other category exceeded the national average — instructional support (libraries and staff training), 8.9 percent more than average; administration, 14 percent more than average; building operations and maintenance, 7.8 percent more than average; and transportation, 2.3 percent more than average. Pupil services, such as counseling, were the only area in which spending was less (7.9 percent) than the national average.

Educator salaries were 16th highest in the U.S. and 2.7 percent more than average. Benefits were 52.5 percent higher than average and sixth highest in the U.S. Instructional costs for items other than compensation, including books and supplies, were 39.7 percent below average.

The largest source of funding for schools in Wisconsin, 52 percent, comes from the state, while local sources, mostly property taxes, add almost 42 percent, according to the WTA. Federal funds total just 6 percent of funding, lower than all but four states.