chart

While these numbers are for Manatee County, your county is probably not much different.

Total Budget	$889,000,000
Less New Schools	379,000,000
Total "Normal" Budget1	$510,000,000
Number of Students	42,000
Cost Per Student	$12,143
School Level	Elementary	Middle	Senior
Students per Teacher per CSA	18	22	25
Total Amount per Classroom	$218,574	$267,146	$303,575
Less:
Average Teacher's Salary2	44,440	44,440	44,440
Teacher's Benefits3	11,110	11,110	11,110
Left after paying the teacher	$163,024	$211,596	$248,025

Clearly there are other operational expenses, but you have to ask, "Where does the money go?"

¹The school board staff will probably not like this simplistic approach and argue that there are expenditures included other than strictly “Operational Expenses”. However, in Florida households and businesses, everyone has to look at both TOTAL revenue (income) and TOTAL expenses. It would be like you saying, "I am not going to count my house payment in my monthly expenses." Try that and see what your banker says when you start bouncing checks.

²Source: Article in The Herald on Page 1A September 10, 2006 by Sylvia Lim entitled "Board to get look at $890 M Budget".

³Assumed 25%