Opinion: Regarding school funding

Two recent opinions have questioned Dartmouth's funding of the public schools. The first said, "Our educators, staff, and children deserve a similar level of investment and support that other communities provide". In fact, Dartmouth provides more than the funding required by the Department of Education's school funding formula. We are ranked 270th out of 320! What "miserable statistic" is being measured here, expenditure per student, total spending, what? 

Another opinion states that the public schools "have been asked to do more with less." The truth is that the public schools are the only department in the budget that is guaranteed an automatic funding increase due to the state's school funding formula. Far from taking "a backseat to other town departments year after year", school funding is the first item that must be addressed when allocating the tax levy because it is mandated by state law and must increase every year. 

You don't have to take my word for it. Look up the dollar amounts spent every year in our school budget, higher every year. School spending as a percentage of the total town budget, higher every year.  I have heard some point to higher percentage increases in other departments. This is extremely misleading. A 3% increase in public school spending is $1.8 million dollars. A 140% increase in the Emergency Management Department budget is $1,260. Not a good way to compare.

To realistically discuss school spending, decide how much more you want to spend in dollars, and then, decide where you can take those dollars from other departments. I think this effort will explode many misconceptions. 

William Trimble