Education Spending

A new report from the Rockefeller Institute details something thought never to happen—a drop in spending on K-12 education. The report, a Rockefeller Institute Policy Brief, begins by saying, "Total revenues supporting K-12 education—after factoring in inflation and changes in the number of students — fell in most states between 2002 and 2005. These overall revenue declines were driven largely by reductions in state support for K-12 education. Increases in revenues from the federal government and local governments compensated for some of the state-level cuts in many states."
In New Mexico, for the period, real (inflation adjusted) revenue per pupil dropped $33. The biggest drop, $182 per pupil, came in state revenue. Between 1992 and 2002, New Mexico spent an average, each year, of $7,427 per pupil, 41st nationally. The report is posted in the economic reports section of www.capitolreportnm.com.
The Rockefeller Institute of Government is the policy research arm of the State University of New York. It looks at government finance and management.