Friday, January 27, 2017
State funding of K-12 education on per-student basis:We cut the largest percentage of our already-low per-student funding in the nation during the recession, and now we're still $400 per student below where we were ten years ago. That amounts to a $400 million yearly cut before adjusting for inflation. (The numbers above, by the way, aren't the total amount Arizona spends per student. That's the amount the state contributes to the total, which is around $7,200, 49th in the nation.)
Year — amount
2007-08 — $4,949
2008-09 — $4,427
2009-10 — $4,216
2010-11 — $3,894
2011-12 — $3,816
2012-13 — $3,861
2013-14 — $4,108
2014-15 — $4,169
2015-16 — $4,459
2016-17 — $4,529
Figures prepared by legislative budget staffers put state aid to the university system at close to $1.1 billion in the 2007-2008 school year. By last school year, the number had dropped to $648 million.An article in the Arizona Capitol Times hammers the number home.
There was a small increase this year, to $681.5 million. But some of that is one-time funding that universities cannot count on going forward.
Looking at it another way, the state’s per-student support in 2007-2008 was $9,648. This year it is $4,098. And if inflation is factored in, the number is closer to $3,500.
Arizona universities have been the target of incessant budget cuts over the past few years. The reductions were among the steepest in the nation from 2008-2015. The Grand Canyon State fell to 49th among states, with the second worst state university funding per capita, according to Politifact Arizona.If Governor Ducey wants to claim the mantle of education advocate, his first promise should be, "We will restore funding to 2008 levels," then he can move on from there. Anything less just keeps his face posted on Arizona's Education Wall of Shame.
Tags: K-12 funding , University funding , Doug Ducey