When Plano’s school trustees review district finances, the staff sometimes compares the district’s spending levels to those of similar districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

At a recent meeting of trustees and staff, this resulted in a surprise for some board members: Plano ISD ranked last among eight local peer districts in extracurricular spending per student.

The district spends $121 per student on extracurricular programs, the lowest total of the group and less than half of Frisco ISD’s $255 per student.

Chief Financial Officer Steve Fortenberry said the discrepancy is likely explained in part by the difference in the number of high schools, and therefore the number of programs. But several trustees wondered aloud if this is an area on which the district should spend more in the future.

Among the same group of peer school districts, Plano ISD ranked second in instructional spending per student: $5,506.