Many people assume that of all 20 Kent County public school districts, Forest Hills has the most money to spend on their students.
In a way that’s right, and in a way that’s wrong.
The suburban district of nearly 10,000 students received $8,409 in the state-funded, per-student foundation allowance this school year, along with Caledonia. That’s the highest allocation in Kent ISD, and $538 more per student than the 14 districts in our area receiving the minimum state foundation allowance of $7,871 per pupil.
But what you may not know is that Forest Hills is getting less money per student than it did 10 years ago, despite mounting costs, inflation and occasional small increases in state funding.