Report says H-C highest in per-pupil spending
HARDIN – A fiscal review group, WalletHub, ranked Missouri’s 516 school districts and declared Hardin-Central’s per-pupil spending “least-equitable.”
“The ranking is based on average household income and per pupil expenditures,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzales told this newspaper. “Hardin-Central School District ranks least equitable because it has the highest spending in the state, over $32,000 per pupil, almost double the state average. At the same time, the total household median income is also among the highest.”
U.S. Census Bureau data shows median household income at $57,500 for the district, which is roughly $3,000 better than the state average of $54,478. Census data also shows 17.7% of district residents fall below the poverty line versus 13.2% statewide. Taken together, the data suggest a few wealthy people may skew the totals to make the district look better off financially than what reality is for the total population.
Hardin-Central Superintendent Trey Cavanah said…