School spending above average

Census data rank the isles 19th with $8,533 in per-pupil spending

Hawaii spent about $8,533 per pupil on public education in the 2003-04 fiscal year, or $246 above the national average, according to an annual Census Bureau estimate.

When compared with other states, Hawaii rose past West Virginia to rank 19th in per-pupil spending, up from 20th the year before.

MONEY FOR SCHOOLS State rankings on per-pupil spending in public schools, 2003-2004: 1. New Jersey ... $12,981 2. New York ... $12,930 3. D.C. ... $12,801 19. Hawaii ... $8,533 U.S. average ... $8,287 49. Arizona ... $6,036 50. Idaho ... $6,028 51. Utah ... $5,008 Source: Census Bureau

The state's per-pupil spending was $8,100 in fiscal 2002-03, also above the national average. In 2001-02, Hawaii ranked 28th with spending of $7,253 that was below the national average.

The top state for 2003-04, New Jersey, spent $12,981 per pupil, while Utah, the bottom state, spent just $5,008.

Hawaii generally ranks in the middle of the pack in per-pupil spending, but recent years have shown an upward trend.

Department of Education administrators say the census numbers do not reflect Hawaii's high cost of living. If it did, Hawaii's spending would put the state much lower, administrators said.

The census numbers show Hawaii spends much less on district-level administration than other states. Hawaii ranks near the bottom in general administrative costs -- about $60 per pupil, compared with the national average of $166.

"It makes sense," said DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen. "In terms of having a single administration for an enrollment the size of ours, it creates cost efficiencies."

However, school administration costs rank 11th in the county at $540 per pupil, compared with the national average of $467, according to the census report.

Spending on teacher salaries was $5,139 per pupil, up from $4,833 the year before. But Hawaii's rank remained the same at 21st in the nation.

The salaries do not reflect a new contract that gave top teachers a 3 percent raise in the 2004-05 school year and up to a 7 percent increase for other teachers who moved up in salary steps.

Hawaii also ranks high in revenues at $11,645 per pupil, seventh in the nation, according to the census report.

The revenues do not match spending because some federal grants extend for more than one fiscal year, some expenditures are not calculated in the per-pupil spending formula, and because of budget carryovers to the next year.