More than two-thirds of U.S. states are spending less per child on schools than they were five years ago, a study found, showing how slowly governments are replacing funding that was cut because of the recession.
At least 34 states will devote less on kindergarten through 12th grade on a per-pupil basis during the current school year than in 2008, once inflation is taken into account, according to a report released today by the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which tracks the impact of government decisions on those with low incomes.
The figures show how public schools haven’t recovered from the 18-month recession that ended in 2009, which led governments to reduce spending when tax revenue dropped. Since 2008, Oklahoma has cut funding the most, by 23 percent, followed by Alabama and Arizona, where per-pupil spending fell 20 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
“The cuts that states made are very, very deep and revenues are coming back slowly — and there are some states that have made their problems worse by cutting taxes,” said Michael Leachman, an analyst for the center who analyzed the state data. “About a third are still digging deeper, and many of the rest of the states still haven’t dug themselves out.”
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via Most States’ School Funding Tumbles Since Recession, Study Finds – Bloomberg.
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