Last month’s elections saw Osseo voters express high confidence in their local public schools as “a $223 million question on the Osseo school district ballot … won voter approval,” the Star Tribune reported. The tax increase is set to cover a new elementary school and security and classroom upgrades, the paper went on to report.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? At least, it does until one hears how much Osseo Public Schools spends to educate each student: $20,117.
That number comes from the district’s own reporting as shown in the chart below. For the curious reader, the grand total of $20,117 is found by dividing the FY 2023 Actual Expenditures and Transfers Out–which reached a grand total of $418,541,737–by the district’s Average Daily Membership (ADM)–20,663.
One would think that a $20,117 education must produce quite the academic brilliance among the students of Osseo Public Schools, right?
Not exactly. Academic proficiency in Osseo Public Schools didn’t even break 50% in reading, science, or math in 2023, the chart below from the Minnesota Department of Education shows:
The voters have already spoken and approved a $223 million tax increase for the Osseo Public Schools. Perhaps next time a referendum comes around, Osseo Public Schools will be honest with voters about how much money they’re already spending per student … and the academic return on investment that money provides.
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Image Credit: Osseo Senior High School
