Adding Up States’ K-12 Funding Cuts

[웃 910]

Adding Up States' K-12 Funding Cuts

We reported last week that 30 states are spending less per pupil on K-12 education this year than in the 2007-08 school year, before the recession started to take its toll on state budgets. We've tallied those funding cuts and found that, in aggregate, those 30 states are sending $25.5 billion less to school districts under their basic education funding formulas than they did in 2008.

School districts must make up for that lost funding by increasing property taxes or other revenues, or — more commonly — by cutting their own budgets (reducing staff, buying fewer textbooks, deferring repairs and renovations, and so on). Either way, that's a hit on the local economy that families and businesses just about everywhere are feeling.

How much is $25.5 billion? Enough to have a very big impact. To give a sense of the magnitude, it's enough to pay the salaries of about 460,000 teachers, at the average U.S. teacher salary rate of $55,000.

Schools haven't covered the spending cut solely by laying off teachers, of course, but they have laid off many thousands of people and taken other actions that reduce economic activity. Already since 2008, schools have cut 278,000 education jobs, even as student enrollment has grown. This year's widespread funding cuts mean that the job losses and broader economic damage are likely to continue.

http://www.offthecha...2-funding-cuts/

Edited October 12, 2011 by Lord Infamous

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Kids don't need an education. Look at the OWS crowd. Plenty of young folk with fancy degrees and no jobs. Why waste funds on educating them if they end up protesting for jobs down the road. Better to keep them dumb and quiet.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Adding Up States' K-12 Funding Cuts

We reported last week that 30 states are spending less per pupil on K-12 education this year than in the 2007-08 school year, before the recession started to take its toll on state budgets. We've tallied those funding cuts and found that, in aggregate, those 30 states are sending $25.5 billion less to school districts under their basic education funding formulas than they did in 2008.

School districts must make up for that lost funding by increasing property taxes or other revenues, or — more commonly — by cutting their own budgets (reducing staff, buying fewer textbooks, deferring repairs and renovations, and so on). Either way, that's a hit on the local economy that families and businesses just about everywhere are feeling.

How much is $25.5 billion? Enough to have a very big impact. To give a sense of the magnitude, it's enough to pay the salaries of about 460,000 teachers, at the average U.S. teacher salary rate of $55,000.

Schools haven't covered the spending cut solely by laying off teachers, of course, but they have laid off many thousands of people and taken other actions that reduce economic activity. Already since 2008, schools have cut 278,000 education jobs, even as student enrollment has grown. This year's widespread funding cuts mean that the job losses and broader economic damage are likely to continue.

http://www.offthecha...2-funding-cuts/

I see California at the top of the list there, yet they have all that money for ESL classes and funds for educating illegals. Pathetic.

Edited October 12, 2011 by Why_Me

[Obama 2012 1,714]

I see California at the top of the list there, yet they have all that money for ESL classes and funds for educating illegals. Pathetic.

funny how that works, isn't it?

Of course this is really a non-story.

We've spent the last 20 years throwing money at education and it hasn't done a damn thing. Might as well put some of that money back in taxpayers pockets!