A high cost for plant operations. High costs for transportation. And about 14% more students per teacher. But thereâs less to the report than meets the eye, PUSD finance director Kathie Manning explained to the school board last week. Well, except for the high student-teacher ratio. Paysonâs got 21 students per teacher on the payroll â compared to a state average of 18 and an average in similar-sized districts of 19. Oh, yeah â and the low graduation rate â a measly 68%. The report showed the district in 2020 had an enrollment of 2,312 â a 2% increase in the past five years. The pandemic wiped out that increase and brought the enrollment below 2,000, but those numbers will show up on the next auditor generalâs report. In the meantime, the 2020 figures showed that 16% of Payson students were in special education classes, 2% did not speak English at home, the poverty rate was 26% and 51% qualified for free and reduced lunches based on federal criteria.