Definition:  Almanac 

“A publication containing statistical, tabular, and general information…often including a miscellany of other information.”

                                                                Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, p.24

To many of us, almanacs remain an integral, if not dusty, part of our bookcase landscape, despite the plethora of information sources bombarding us each and every day.

As an avid baseball fan, the almanac was my quintessential source for statistics on Willie, Mickey, and the Duke, particularly around World Series time. The Almanac was also the official source for settling any and all dinner-time disputes regarding questions on geography, history, entertainment, science, and just about anything that was assigned a number, had a date, was a record, or existed in time and space at one time.

The most satisfying ingredient of an almanac, however, remains its constancy in a world of change. It is a collection of data about topics, some of continuing interest, most of cursory interest. But it is the collection itself, and its presence, that gives solace to some of us that these data are gathered in one place, each year, containing data of previous years and, now, provides the new data for the current year. 

The School District Almanac for 2005 represents our continuing effort to collect and codify many unconnected data sources about our state and county school districts. Originally, this book focused only on financial data. We thought there should be more, particularly when all of these data are already available at various websites.  

The Almanac reflects an established database for each school district over several years, one which we hope will grow in depth and breadth each year. We have also linked these financial, student, personnel, achievement, and Census data information into a state-wide school district database, which can be explored with geographic, statistical, and presentation graphics software.  

A caveat or two: Some of these data are self-reported, some data are only as current as the most recent comptrollers audit, and some may be just reported wrong. We will strive to continually edit and improve these data with your help because, despite these inevitable weaknesses, the almanac should continue to be a place where we can measure change and understand its consequences, each and every year, thanks to the efforts of non-profit school study councils like SCOPE. 

We hope you agree.

Jonathan T. Hughes, Ph.D.

Database Author