Some math about HCPSS funding needs and gaps
I wrote something on this topic before. Here I am doing some simple math again with a relative simple model. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Revised according to some suggestions.
Funding needs because of student enrollment growth
- We have been seeing an average of 1000 new students per year for HCPSS in the past 10 years. Assuming 10% of the growth are students with special needs.
- The increased cost is : 900*10,000 per student for general education from county funding +100*30000 per student for special education from county funding =12 million dollars
- Another calculation using average (16k per student ) 16k * 1000=16 million dollars. County funds 2/3 of those, which is equivalent 10.6 million dollars.
- So in general, we need more than 10 million extra dollars each year to accommodate our student’s growth in order not to increase class size or cut service.
Does housing development pay the cost?
- Assuming a house has two students over 30 years staying at HCPSS, ignoring inflation.
- The property tax for a 400k house is 4k*30=120 K dollars in total.
- The cost for 2 new students for HCPSS: 50k ( per student per seat in capital budget) *2 + 10000*13 (years)*2 = 360 K dollars
- The gap of funding is 240 K per house.
- If the house keeps generating students continuously ( the family moves in only when students attending HCPSS, assuming 20 years for two students ) , the tax will be 4k*20=80k. The gap will be 280k. Every forty year, the funding gap will be 560K, more than half million dollars.
- There are also many other costs (infrastructure, county government etc) beyond school system.