This town meeting season we are collectively being asked to appropriate $47 million to educate our 2,133 public school students.
This town meeting season we are collectively being asked to appropriate $47 million to educate our 2,133 public school students. That is many millions more than other Massachusetts communities are spending to educate about the same number of students.
The statistics are really quite startling: according to the Massachusetts Department of Education, the average per pupil expense in Massachusetts for the 2013-2014 school year — the last year fully reported — was $14,518; the Martha’s Vineyard average was $22,989. (To obtain Island averages, I took the figures reported to the state by Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, the Up-Island Regional School District and the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, added those numbers together and then divided by five.) Why is there such a gap in per pupil expenses? For one, we pay our teachers more. The average teacher salary in the commonwealth was $73,908; on Martha’s Vineyard the average teacher salary was $83,717. Also, we have a lot more teachers per student and smaller than average class sizes. The average commonwealth student/teacher ratio was 13.3 to 1; our ratio was 9.04 to 1. Average class size across the state was 18.1 per class. Our average was 13.6.
In many ways, comparing ourselves to the state as a whole is not particularly helpful. We are not like most of the communities in the commonwealth; we are an Island. And unlike that other Massachusetts island, Nantucket, we are not one town; we are six. Perhaps, however, we can learn from other Massachusetts communities which, like ourselves, educate roughly 2,100 to 2,300 students.
The portraits of 21 other such communities can be found on the Massachusetts Department of Education website. In looking at the data from those districts, one thing jumped out at me immediately: no one else had 240 full time teachers on the payroll. Weston, which of the 21 schools I researched came closest to the Vineyard in terms of per pupil costs, had 207 full time teachers for its 2,363 students. The remaining districts had teacher numbers ranging from 128 to 182. That’s because most of the other districts operated two or three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. We, meanwhile, have five elementary programs, four middle school programs and a high school — not counting the charter school.
Why do we have so many school programs for so few kids? I know why we have five elementary programs — we think it is in the best interest of our youngest children to provide neighborhood schools with small class sizes. I’m sure that’s true. But why do we have four middle school programs, with the necessary specialty teachers and specialty classrooms, when we only have 433 students total in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades?
The answer, of course, is politics. We may be one Island but we are most comfortable thinking about ourselves as six towns. We like local control. Every year at my town meeting someone stands up and fusses about the regional high school budget and our town’s inability to dictate its specifics. What people do not stand up to discuss is how the only reason we are able to offer our 655 high school students a comprehensive high school education is because we collectively pool our money. Our high school offers everything: full academics, arts, athletics and vocational programs. Such a broad range of offerings is expensive but we are able to swing it because we all pitch in to foot the bill.
The other thing not discussed, or at least not put before voters to ask whether they mind, is the millions-of-dollars-a-year-premium we pay for our current kindergarten-through-eight town school model. Actually, that’s not quite true. In 2014, then superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss and former superintendent Dr. Peter Palches went before the Martha’s Vineyard League of Women Voters and asked the group to spearhead a study regarding regionalization of all Island schools. Mr. Weiss and Mr. Palches understand the math — but town leaders balked at the mere idea.
I think it is time for town leaders to reconsider. We are about to collectively appropriate $47 million for education for one year. That’s $8.3 million more than the Weston superintendent is requesting for about the same number of students and upwards of $16 million more than some of the other comparably-sized communities. It’s real money.
It’s time to embrace the idea of a regional middle school.
Rachel Orr lives in Vineyard Haven and has two children attending Vineyard public schools.
Comments
Yes it's real money.
MikeD WTYes it's real money.
Way out of whack
Every student deserves a good education.
Unfortunately most of the money comes from off Islanders that own houses, pay taxes and do not send their children to school on the Island.
Taxation without representation, at least for the educational end of things.
Uh, where have i heard that before?
I am not saying I mind pitching in for what I get, but if I don't get a benefit, and taxes keep going up because of a benefit I don't get - yes I mind
Take school taxes off non Islander yearly taxes and see whats left.
I am sure there is a line item for that.
Surly not the exorbitant roughly $23,000 per student and approximately $83,000 per teacher per year.
Yes, I know it's an Island and things cost more.
I bet the taxes in Weston are higher per $1000 assessed than they are on the Island, but they manage to spend less.
Go figure, maybe they have better budgeting committees,m maybe they get better town provided benefits.
We need to get in line with the way the rest of the Commonwealth is educating students.
It would also be interesting to see how our students stack up to other municipalities that spend less.
In most cases, way less.
Is the quality of education on the Island that superior to everywhere else in the Commonwealth.
I do not know, but doubt it.
More teachers - less students = it should be.
Centralizing the middle schools sounds like a step in the right direction.
Absolutely a proper business
George Stein EdgartownAbsolutely a proper business model. Perhaps we can avoid the structural issues than linger at the high school in choosing a facility. God forgive me for suggesting the properties no longer required could be sold off for the development of homes for the year round crowd of families who shuffle around. Their stability can further help school age children who will benefit from no longer having the annual distraction.
People who can afford to have
DownislanderPeople who can afford to have a second vacation home complaining about taxes. Cracks me up.
You aren't looking at the
Bill MacKenty Warsaw, PolandYou aren't looking at the correct bottom line, Ms. Orr.
You make a persuasive economic case for a regional middle school, but you have left other costs out of your argument. Your reasoning probably finds a good home in a spreadsheet program, where it should stay. Have you considered the following costs:
1. The loss of local control, in many different aspects (bussing, food, curriculum, administration).
2. The loss of local jobs (you suggest speciality teachers would be redundant)
3. The cost of change (over time this could be absorbed, but the initial outlay would be significant)
4. The approach to teaching and learning will be far less nuanced, trending towards a lockstep standardization which isn't best for students
I believe you have also failed to correctly calculate value.
1. Island schools are doing tremendous work in educating, nurturing and supporting our students in the 6-8 space
2. Curriculum alignment is far more coherent between 5th and 6th grade than 8th and 9th grade
3. Families with younger children (6 to 14) get to stay together. Making life easier for parents to manage logistics (picking up and dropping off)
I've taught at the Edgartown School, in New York City, and now I teach in Warsaw Poland. I've seen the comprehensive value a K-8 school brings to a student. I also know the Island, having grown up and attended Edgartown elementary and high school. I believe a regional middle school would cost to much, reduce value to our students and local community, and make life harder for families.
Student numbers are this year
Valerie ChilmarkStudent numbers are this year's numbers, you would do better to average over a ten year period, or atleast use projected future numbers. My sons were 3 years apart and the numbers dropped from over 800 kids in the high school to low 700s. At this juncture the high school facility itself needs work, administritation needs a new building and other school facilities require needed work, before a regional middle school could even be considered.
It really is shocking how the
Parent MVIt really is shocking how the towns here like to throw away money just to keep control. It just doesn't make logical sense. We would save ridiculous amounts of money if we shared more. Oh yeah, and our kids would have a better education. And we could offer more innovative programs in the schools. And hire the best of the best teachers. And keep programs that get cut in some schools, but not others. Instead we spend money on the same things, multiple times over, when we could just spend it once or twice. Just because it's tradition, doesn't mean it's right.
Nice job Rachel and keep it
Bob EdgartownNice job Rachel and keep it up. Even a worst thing to happen to education in this country is tenure. I know of a handful of teachers who should be gone but are not. But you are off to a good start to try and control our spending. We also have to put in the mix the town jobs and the new hires every year along with new trucks, cars etc... This is fantasy island and lets hope the golden goose which is our off island tax payers do not decide to leave us.
Yes , the summer population
Abraham Seiman Oak Bluffs, MAYes , the summer population does help to pay for the education of the all year population students. However, without out the taxes paid by the year-round population (approximately 70% of the overall budget), most of us would not be able to live on this Island. In the end, the summer population would become the Island population, responsible for 100% of the property taxes and hiring enough of the off-eland population for construction, land-scaping and utilities. However, from the perspective of an all-yearround resident, the need for 4 middle schools staggers the imagination is actually a disservice to the population unless each middle school is teaching a different curriculum. Common sense is not as common as one might expect.
Perhaps I am misreading the
Carla Tabourne Oak Bluffs, MAPerhaps I am misreading the first sentence in your comment Mr. Seiman, if so, I apologize. However, the distribution of taxpayers (vis a vis. summer residents to year round residents) could not yield the proportion "approximately 70% of the overall budget." Considering that NONE of the appropriation to school budgets is enjoyed by the summer residents. Summer home owners know that their second homes are pure luxury and/or good fortune, but it is just to acknowledge that the cash cows are not to be taken for granted. I think that also calls for common sense.
I also did not understand
Bob EdgartownI also did not understand what Mr. Seiman wrote. Nice to have this topic started again as it does every few years or so. But it never goes very far as no one wants to give up control. It is not what is best for the students and tax payers anymore. It is about control. I think the island children would greatly benefit from having a few more years together as a group.
Hell NO!! When ICE comes
Louis B. The VineyardHell NO!! When ICE comes down here and sees who actually legally qualifies for us to pay to educate them and give them special benefits then and only then will I think about agreeing to such a thing!
Please forgive me for being
George Stein EdgartownPlease forgive me for being the only person bringing to light an opportunity for generating revenue to pay for enhancing student development. All these other agendas just go in directions that involve issues that need not be in the conversation. Simplicity is too taxing for some I guess. Anything to create affordable housing is #1 on my agenda, kids are part of that equation big time.
Yawn. Anyone who's lived here
Rex Treadwell EdgartownYawn. Anyone who's lived here long enough has seen this debate flare up and subside over and over again. Wake me when it's over.
We don't have this problem in
J Klingensmith Naples FloridaWe don't have this problem in Florida
Hilarious! The "loss of local
Lupi Robinson North Haven CTHilarious! The "loss of local control" as a reason not to regionalize in a place as small as the Vineyard. We in New England pay an enormous price for our system of town government with its "local control" and enormous duplication of effort. I have no problem as a summer resident supporting the Vineyard with taxes far higher than what I pay in my other home, but I do resent paying more for unnecessary duplication of services and facilities.
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