How much money does Loudoun County spend on public schools per pupil?

A)     $11,997
B)     $12,315
C)     $12,422
D)     $14,883

The answer depends on who you ask and what expenditures they choose to include in the computation.  Answer A, $11,997 per pupil, is the most widely reported figure, but it does not come close to accounting for the true cost of public schools.  Answer D, $14,883 per pupil, includes all the costs related to public schools in FY 2010, which are as follows:

• Operating Budget ($732,598,960)
• Bus and Vehicle Leases ($6,400,000)
• Debt Service ($111,485,143) - Capital projects, such as new schools and school renovations, are financed through the sale of bonds with 20 year maturities.  This is the amount in principle and interest for school capital projects.
• Cafeteria Fund ($23,021,430) -  This fund used to be financed entirely through cafeteria sales and federal/state subsidies, but in FY 2008, the fund started receiving local funding.
• Capital Asset Preservation Program ($1,400,000)
• Post-Retirement Employees Benefits Fund ($10,500,000) - This fund was established in FY 2009 to cover the unfunded liability of some retirement benefits.

Here is how the per-pupil costs were computed, base on an approved enrollment of 59,490 students.

Answer A ($11,997) - Per-pupil cost reported in the Washington Area Boards of Education (WABE) Guide, but WABE excludes roughly $19 million in expenditures from the base LCPS operating budget of $732,598,960.  The following note from the WABE Guide explains why:  Uniform formulas were developed by the WABE committee for consistency area-wide. These numbers are comparable; however, the cost per pupil reported here may differ from that reported in individual districts' budget documents or other reports.

Answer B ($12,315) - Includes only the base operating budget of $732,598,960.

Answer C ($12,422) - Includes the base operating budget as well as bus and vehicle leases, which together comprise the school operating fund reported in the County budget.

Answer D ($14,883) - Includes all public schools related expenditures.  This is the true cost of Loudoun County public schools.