Essentials Magazine Essentials Summer 2014 | Page 6

teacher hires are likely to be more technology-friendly than the teachers they replace and, consequently, should enable the integration of technology into education at an increasingly rapid pace. A 500 Percent Increase in the Rate of Spending Finally, when compared to the last 5 years, spending in education for the next 5 years is improving. From the next 5 years, per pupil expenditures are expected to increase to $12,460 or just over 10 percent. Most school marketers have struggled over the past 5 years but the Projections forecast that the PreK-12 school market is in for a turnaround. Fall 2013 was the projected start of the pendulum swing toward a stronger market. The forecast continues to look promising for the next 5 years. Do you expect economic conditions to improve before the end of the 2013-14 school year? Modest Improvement 57% No Change 38% Modest Decline 3% Major Improvement 2% 0% 20% 40% 60% Source: 1st Quarter 2014 Marketer Survey, School Market Research Institute, Inc. the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2013 public school expenditures grew from $550 billion to $564 billion or about 2.5 percent. From the fall of 2013 to the fall of 2018 they are expected to grow to $640 billion or about 14 percent — that’s an increase of 500 percent. A good deal of this increase in spending is a result of the expected increase in student population; however, the spending per pupil is on the upswing as well. Over the last 5 years, per pupil spending went from $11,175 to $11,322 or an increase of just 1.3 percent. In Bob Stimolo, EDmarket’s Official School Market Consultant, is President of School Market Research Institute (SMRI) a full-service marketing and research firm. We encourage you to contact Bob for advice and counsel on your marketing programs. There is no charge to EDmarket members. Call 1-800-838-3444 ext. 205 or email [email protected]. Visit the SMRI website www. smriinc.com. LOOKING FOR A COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO LOCATE AND REACH POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS? EDmarket iQ allows you to identify districts, schools and educators to target for sales and marketing promotions. SEARCH FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: www.edmarket.org/resources/edmarketiq.cfm 6 essentials | summer 2014 CONNECT GROW