Report // February 2022
WABE Benchmarking Report Highlights APS Need to Direct Budget Resources to Student-Facing Positions
Key Takeaways
APS Has the Highest Operating Cost Per Student in the Region. APS spends the most among districts in the region in operating cost per student (using actual 2022 enrollment data), and reported the second highest cost per student based on budgets reported to the Washington Area Boards of Education (WABE).
APS Leads the Region in Non-Operating Costs per Student. APS’ non-operating costs – including construction fund and debt service costs – are the second highest regionally.
APS Receives Low Levels of Funding from Both the State and County. Based on state wealth-adjusted apportionment rules, APS receives comparatively little from the state. Even though the state believes that Arlington county has sufficient means to fund APS, the county devotes the second-lowest percentage of general funds to the schools among local districts.
APS Should Prioritize its Budget to Instructional Positions. Research shows that devoting resources to student-facing instruction vs. administrative functions is one key to high performance. Despite having the highest cost per student regionally, APS has not devoted those funds to instruction, including through smaller class sizes and higher teacher pay. And APS’ recently announced teacher raises may be insufficient to remain competitive regionally.
APS Should Reduce Non-School-based Spending. Last year APS increased its central office spending by 22 percent, and currently is among the highest in the region in non-school-based positions. APS needs to reverse this trend, and also address other budget drivers, such as overall compensation rates and facilities (or debt service) costs.