OISD ranks 71 out of 1,020 for Equitable Funding

Olney Independent School District spends a bigger chunk of its budget on student learning than most of Texas’ 1,020 public school districts, according to a study of elementary and secondary school education by personal finance website WalletHub.

School superintendent Greg Roach learned of the ranking when school board trustee Kyle Hinson pointed it out. The WalletHub ranking comes a few months after U.S. News & World Report named Olney High School among the best high schools in Texas and the nation.

The study ranked OISD as the 71st most equitable district, with expenditures of $13,210 per pupil and an average household income of $49,275. Archer ISD ranked 304th, with expenditures of $11,428 per pupil and an average household income of $50,563. Graham ISD ranked 676th with expenditures of $9,085 per pupil and an average household income of $52,518.

“I didn’t find any schools in our area that were higher than that, and I was excited about that,’ Dr. Roach said. “We just spend most of our money on instruction - it’s not even necessarily how much. It’s that all they are getting a shot at all of it - at what you have. We just focus on reading, writing and arithmetic and the rest follows.”

“Most & Least Equitable School Districts in Texas” used data from the U.S. Census bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics to rank based on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.

Texas falls in the middle of the states in equitable spending on students – ranked 24th – “but some districts within the state are fairer than others,” the study said.

“States that provide equitable funding to all school districts can help prevent poor students from having lower graduation rates, lower rates of pursuing higher education and smaller future incomes than their wealthy peers,” the study said. “The difference is dramatic: College graduates have $524-$1,112 higher median weekly earnings than people with a high school diploma and no college experience, depending on the degree.”

“This is about how you spend your money,” Dr. Roach said. “We put most of our money into children and instruction. It has to do with is a low-income kid getting the same opportunity as the high-income kid. If you will focus in on the classroom and getting that fixed, everything will follow suit.”