Public school funding takes a step toward rationality with a new plan to pre-set the amount the county contributes to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. However, the plan builds in a bias toward ever-higher spending and tax hikes to boot.
The good news is the attempt to try and unify the various pots of money the county spends for education, and then project what future costs might be. This is budgeting as it is done in the real world, where needs for new physical plant do not erupt out of the ether. And trying to set a per pupil spending figure is a step in the right direction because that ultimately gives us a way to compare CMS over time and against other districts.
But a couple of assumptions are wacky. One is that as enrollment grows, county revenue will also see a bump. Maybe, maybe not. It will depend on the type of development that comes with the new bodies. Besides, the expected revenue could easily lag higher enrollment by a year or two creating a cash crunch. And let’s not forget that the population growth that brings new demands on education also bring new demands on other government services as well.
Plus the focus on enrollment projections to determine funding puts CMS under the gun to get their projected enrollment numbers right, something CMS’ track record in North Mecklenburg says is unlikely. One can easily imagine an “August surprise” suddenly treating local residents to yet another squabble between CMS and the county over money.
Stranger still is that formula as it now being discussed would take per pupil spending from $2,944 today to $3,410 in 2006. That looks like to roadmap for tax hikes to some county officials. Presumably the spending increase reflects an increase in badly needed school construction. But after the building boom would per pupil spending ever drift back down?
Somehow I doubt it.
