WTA Omits Important Details

This is the complete plagerization of an article posted by Paul Soglin at Waxing America. Too good to not steal!

Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance Tells Only Part of the Story
In Monday's press release, the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WTA) tells a story about spending on public education in the Badger State. The overall impression we get when reading their findings is that Wisconsin taxpayers' money is largely going for teachers' benefits. They conclude:

With one of the nation’s most attractive public retirement programs and with health costs escalating, much of the allowable compensation growth is going for benefits, rather than salary.

How they explain Wisconsin's ranking for benefits costs as opposed to salaries is critical.

WTA notes that Wisconsin is very high in expenditures for teachers' benefits. This is documented with the dollar amount and how we rank compared to other states. WTA also notes that with salaries representing 55.5% of Wisconsin school spending, we are below the national average of 62.1%:

A different view emerges if spending is analyzed by function, e.g., salaries and benefits. In 2003-04, Wisconsin ranked 22nd in salaries, spending $5,121 per pupil, or 0.6% less than the U.S. average ($5,150). Salaries represented 55.5% of total Wisconsin school spending vs. 62.1% nationally. (my emphasis)

Wisconsin spent $2,404 per pupil on benefits, the third-highest amount in the nation and 57.0% above the U.S. average ($1,531). New York ($2,551) was highest and Texas ($826), lowest. Benefits accounted for 26.1% of Wisconsin school spending. Only two states had higher percentages: West Virginia (28.3%) and Indiana (27.1%). The U.S. average was 18.5%...(more emphasis)

Can you spot what is missing? There is no comparable ranking for Wisconsin teacher salaries to other states. We get the ranking for benefits but not salary.

Wisconsin, as noted above in bold, spends only 55.5% of its expenditure on teachers' salaries.

For those who care, Wisconsin ranks dead last.

For those who care, Oregon is next to last at 56.2%

It is actually quite simple. Wisconsin teachers who are compensated close to the national average prefer to take their renumeration in benefits rather than salary and wages. Wisconsin teachers are pretty bright.

WTA acknowledges that salaries, as a cost of education, are below the national average , but they never put that fact in context. They never show the extreme, as they do for benefits.

As the state wide elections gear up in the final month, expect to see major right-wing political attacks on teachers' benefits. This sort of distortion, while not in the same league as WMC, is the same game: a steady stream of political misinformation from so-called "non-partisan" groups to help elect Republicans. And the lazy press repeats their releases intact without even an attempt to get another source of information.

Oh, and another thing. WTA never acknowledged that Wisconsin gets value for its money. We do spend more than the average state for public education, but our students perform significantly better than average.

(author's note: If you want to check the math, go the US Census report, table 6 at page 6, Public Education Finances 2004.)

Read
Waxing America here.