What difference, now, does it make?
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McDonough Middle School, Hartford, CT
More Pandemic Fallout: The Chronically Absent Student
At one middle school, more than 40 percent of the students have been chronically absent this year. Districts are going to great lengths — offering gift cards, night classes — to reach them.
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When McDonough Middle School in Hartford, Conn., held a pep rally to encourage student attendance last month, about 16 percent of the school's students were marked absent.
Still, it was not a bad turnout for a district where more than 40 percent of the students have been chronically absent this year.
Huh – McDonough Middle School’s in Hartford, eh? Let’s see what our tax money’s producing:
237 students
10:1 student-teacher ratio
Student population (-) 9%
No. of Teachers +9%
Math proficiency 7%
Reading proficiency 28%
Ranked #925 out of 957 Ct schools
Per Pupil spending $19,331
That’s average, according to The Yankee Institute :
Connecticut spent more money per public-school student in 2018 than nearly every other state in the country, according to newly-released data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Connecticut spent $20,635 per student, with only New York and Washington D.C. spending more per pupil. Most of the money went toward teacher and support staff salaries and benefits.
Average spending across the country was $12,612 per student, while the average per student in the Northeast was much higher at $19,953.
Lest you think money cures all ills, check out the performance of Sharon Center School, $36,486 per pupil, 85% white, 7% Hispanic, no Blacks.
6:1 Student/teacher ratio
Math Proficiency 50%
Reading Proficiency: 60%
