Shimanski’s right. Percentages increase the disparity

State Rep. Ron Shimanski, R-Silver Lake, was interviewed for the May 26 Herald Journal. Shimanski tells in the article about the new education funding formula that doesn’t widen the gap between rural and metro schools by giving a percentage increase. This year, every student across the state will get a modest increase of $51, he said. Not only is this the most fair way to divide up funds for education, it also is the least deceptive and understandable way to present numbers to the public. $51 equals $51. That is a true statement. Government doesn’t always do that, though. Suppose someone wanted to make an increase seem equal if it really wasn’t. The person could say everyone got a 3 percent increase. It sounds equal but it really isn’t. 3 percent of $20 is 60 cents. 3 percent of $50 is $1.50. Sixty cents does not equal $1.50. Here’s another situation. Suppose someone had a series of numbers, 1, 5, 12, 15, 16, 17 and 25. Suppose they were embarrassed about the numbers on either end. Maybe the person would be criticized for the numbers on the end being too big or too small. Then the person uses the average, 13. Not only does it conceal the numbers the person is embarrassed about, it also gives the impression everyone in the series will have 13, which isn’t too bad. However, suppose 13 doesn’t sound big enough. Then the person will use the median, which is the number in the middle of the series, 15. Many people think the average and median are the same thing, but they’re not. Thirteen does not equal 15. Straight forward reporting on numbers is always best for the public. It’s too bad we can’t get it all the time.