Compensation costs—including salaries, benefits and pensions—consume almost three quarters of all increases in spending on public schools, concludes Understanding the Increases in Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada. The study highlights how spending on public schools increased between 2003-04 and 2012-13 with the additional money paying mainly for salaries, pensions and benefits. For example, over this time frame compensation costs rose from $30.9 billion to $44.6 billion—an increase of $13.8 billion, which represents 72.2 per cent of the overall $19.1 billion increase in education spending during the 10-year period.