By MONICA RHOR, Associated Press Writer Monica Rhor, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 18 mins ago
HOUSTON – Per pupil spending in public schools varies widely from state to state, but the federal government contributes comparatively little to K-12 education, according to a Census report released Monday.
The report, based on 2007 figures, shows the country's 15,638 school districts received $556.9 billion in government funding. Of that amount, only 8.3 percent came from the federal government. The remainder — about $510 billion — came from state and local sources, it said.
But the infusion of an unprecedented $100 billion in federal education stimulus money will likely change that equation in the coming years, said Russ Whitehurst, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
If distributed over one year, the stimulus money would account for about 20 percent of per pupil revenue — a huge windfall for districts grappling with budget shortfalls and falling property assessments.
"The Obama administration has made it clear that it wants to spend more on education, and with the stimulus, the appetite for federal investment will be whetted," said Whitehurst. "Once you start giving money to people, you create the appetite for more. I think the 2009 numbers will be a lot different than the 2007 ones."
The report showed that Louisiana received the most in federal revenue in 2007, with that funding making up 17.6 percent of the state per pupil revenue. New Jersey had the smallest percentage of federal revenue with 4 percent.
The Census report showed that public schools across the country spent an average of $9,666 per pupil in 2007, an increase of 5.8 percent over the previous year.
But that spending ranged widely per state with New York school systems spending the most per pupil at $15,981, and public schools in Utah coming in last with spending $5,683 per pupil. Also in the top three were New Jersey at $15,691 per pupil and Washington, D.C. at $14,324.
In California, where a failing state budget is expected to force massive teacher layoffs, spending was $9,152 per pupil — just below the national average.
Texas ranked 44th in per pupil spending with an average of $7,818 per student. One parent whose three children attend schools in a suburban Houston district said she was concerned that her state's low per pupil spending results in lower teacher salaries and cuts to extracurricular activities and fine arts programs.
"It frustrates me that we are not banking on the future in terms of our children. If we spent more, maybe we attract more talent in terms of teachers," said Margaret Fraissinet, whose children include a 14-year-old just entering high school in the Humble school district and another child entering pre-K.
But more spending doesn't necessarily translate into better results, said Whitehurst, who noted that studies have shown virtually no correlation between the two.
"The relationship is weak to nonexistent between levels of expenditure and student achievement," he said. "That doesn't mean money is not important. You just have to ask what money is being spent for."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090728/...chool_spending
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