BROOKFIELD- One of the MOST EXPENSIVE School Districts in CENTRAL NEW YORK !

Small schools such as Brookfield, continue to lead the state in education costs per student. An article from today's Post Standard illustrates the disparate costs to education students throughtout the state and Central NY. Brookfield ranked as the #6 MOST EXPENSIVE school district in Central New York (out of 45). Using figures for 2007-08, Brookfield spent $17,836 per year, per student while 2009 per student costs have risen to approximately $20,000 per student. Many of the districts with the highest costs per students in the region are the smaller districts, according to state Education Department. Simply put, they have fewer students to spread the costs over. Regardless of size, all districts have to provide certain services mandated by the state. They also face the similar fixed costs, such as the salaries of a superintendent and business manager, as a larger district. While it would make sense in some cases to merge smaller districts that’s a challenge because local school boards, like BCS's, are very protective of their small school districts. See the article and check Deb Grooms article at http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/smaller_school_districts_spend.html