Plugged In
The Cost Of Doing Business
School spending is on the rise across the country.
The nation’s public school districts spent an average of $8,701 per student on elementary and secondary education in fiscal year 2005, up five percent from $8,287 the previous year, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report. New York spent $14,119 per student—the highest amount among states and state equivalents. Utah spent the least per student, with $5,257. Seven of the top 10 with the highest per-pupil expenditures were in the Northeast. All 10 of the states with the lowest spending per student were in the West or the South.
• The $214.6 billion schools received from local sources included $186.5 billion from taxes and local government appropriations.
• School construction spending totaled $41.8 billion nationwide, with California ($8.7 billion) and Texas ($4.7 billion) combined accounting for almost one-third of this amount.
• Alaska led all states or state equivalents in the proportion of its public school system revenue coming from the federal government (18.9 percent). Hawaii led all states in proportion from state sources, at 87.4 percent; Vermont’s share was 87.2 percent.
Source: 2005 annual survey of local government finances. The tabulations contain data on revenues, expenditures, debt, and assets for all individual public elementary and secondary school systems.
For the full report, go to http://www.census.gov
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Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity
The Scholastic Store 
Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity
by Mo Willems and Mo WillemsTrixie can't wait to bring her one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny to school and show him off to everyone. But when she gets there, she sees something awful: Sonja has the same bunny. Suddenly, Knuffle Bunny doesn't seem so one-of-a-kind anymore. Chaos ensues until the bunnies are taken away by Ms. Greengrove. After school, Trixie finally gets her beloved bunny back. But in the middle of the night, Trixie realizes something. She has the wrong bunny!
Daddy comes to the rescue again as a midnight swap is arranged with the other bunny, the other little girl, and the other daddy. Needless to say, the daddies are not very happy. By the end of the story Trixie has her beloved bunny back, but she has also gained something new: her very first best friend.
In the tradition of the Caldecott Honor-winner KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY TALE, this is another heartfelt, hilarious picture book that children (and their parents) will love.
$16.99
books;hardcover books;picture books | Ages 5-6
Ages 5-6 $16.99
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Ready, Freddy! #4: Don't Sit on My Lunch!
The Scholastic Store 
Ready, Freddy! #4: Don't Sit on My Lunch!
With his close friend Jessie’s help and a lot of hard work Freddy Thresher makes the pee-wee hockey team and makes peace with the biggest and meanest kid in first grade. The 4th installment of the Ready Freddy! series finds Freddy with "a really, really big problem": there’s one slot left on the hockey team and Max Sellers has challenged him for it. John McKinley’s witty illustrations and a surprise twist ending, make this a must-read for fans of the popular series.
$5.99
Page Turners
Laugh along with the difficulties of childhood while learning a valuable lesson about friendship.
books;paperback books;paperbacks | Ages 4-8
Ages 4-8 $5.99
