SCHOOL REPORTS HELP GAUGE OVERALL PERFORMANCE

Just as report cards provide a gauge for students, so can they provide a measure of merit and comparison for school districts.

Earlier this month, the state released annual report cards for Missouri's 524 public schools. Districts are evaluated in terms of state averages.

Since Dec. 12, the Southeast Missourian has been publishing the report cards on area districts 10 in all. We encourage parents and other taxpayers to review these report cards carefully.

Overall, these district report cards show excellent area schools that are trying to make the most of their local and state tax dollars. Most have done a good job reducing class size. ACT test scores are also above state averages in the region.

The report cards also reflect challenges for area schools. Teacher salaries in many districts are below state averages. Performance on the new statewide assessment test was marginal for many districts, but it is a new test. Most districts are struggling with lack of operational funding, but they have found passing tax increases is an uphill battle.

The report cards also provided some interesting insight into Missouri's "average" public school. The average school district has only 1,706 students with a dropout rate of 5.4 percent. The average per-pupil expenditure statewide is $5,906.

Area schools spend much less per student. No doubt, expenditures in St. Louis and Kansas City throw off the averages. For example, Cape Girardeau School District's per-pupil expenditure is just over $5,000. At Jackson, the cost is $4,228 per student.

Another interesting comparison deals with the percentage of operating budget received from state government. The state average is 34.6 percent. But some districts such as Cape Girardeau receive only 26 percent of its funding from the state. Compare that to Jackson, which receives 41.7 percent of its operating budget from state government. That's a significant difference.