November 29, 2017 – A new CBPP paper shows that public investment in K-12 schools has declined dramatically in a number of states over the last decade. Worse, some of the deepest-cutting states have also cut income tax rates, weakening their main revenue source for supporting schools.
Most states reduced funding for K-12 after the start of the recession. In 29 states, total state funding per student was still lower in 2015 than in 2008, before the recession took hold.
Restoring it should be an urgent priority, as steep state-level K-12 spending cuts have profound consequences on children, particularly those who live in low-income neighborhoods.
Our country’s future depends heavily on the quality of its schools. Increasing financial support can help schools implement proven reforms such as improving teacher quality, reducing class size, and expanding time spent learning.
Our economy benefits when our workforce is well-educated, and deep education funding cuts weaken that future workforce by diminishing the quality of our teachers and our schools.
At a time when the nation is striving to grow the economy, neglecting our schools and enacting large cuts in funding for basic education undermine a crucial building block for prosperity.