We hear this public shaming all the time: Colorado ranks at the bottom for per-student school funding.
Of course, that's not true. Census figures released Monday show Colorado ranking 39th among all states and the District of Columbia, with per-pupil K-12 funding averaging $9,575. That is $2,187 less than the national average of $11,762.
This ranking does not account for Gov. John Hickenlooper signing a new budget that increases education funding by $150 million, or growing local revenues generated for school districts by the state's soaring economy. Hopefully our ranking improves.
The Gazette has long advocated placing more priority on education spending, and for paying teachers more.
While no one should boast of a 39th ranking, academic results are more important than what we spend. If spending more had a dollar-for-dollar correlation with better student outcomes, the solution would be simple. Just outspend all other states to enjoy benefits of the country's smartest kids.
It is nowhere near that simple.
If spending were the key to classroom success, we would find the best and brightest K-12 students in New York and Washington, D.C. New York leads all states by spending $22,366 on each K-12 student — a whopping $12,791 more than Colorado. The District of Columbia more than doubles Colorado's spending, placing second at $19,159 for each student.
With all that money, New York and Washington kids should far outperform their Colorado contemporaries in the annual study by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The congressionally mandated survey, administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, monitors educational outcomes among fourth-, eighth- and 12th-graders in math, science, reading and writing.
In the latest assessment, 42 percent of Colorado fourth-graders were "at or above proficient" in math, compared with only 32 percent in D.C. and 35 percent in New York. Colorado students consistently outperform New York and D.C. students in all grades and subjects.
Among all 50 states and the District, Utah comes in last for per-pupil spending. It allocates $6,953 for each student, which is $15,413 less than New York. Despite the enormous disparity, Utah's fourth-graders far outperform their New York and D.C. peers in math, with 45 percent proficient or above compared to 35 percent in New York and 32 percent in D.C. Accounting for all surveyed grade levels and subjects, students in the lowest funding state consistently outperform those in states with the highest funding.
An assortment of factors determines the cost of educating a child. Circumstances change from state to state and one school district to the next. A teacher in rural Arkansas can live on less income than one in Manhattan. Students who wake up on farms each day experience different learning stimuli than students in dense urban neighborhoods.
Politicians should prioritize education. Meanwhile, Colorado taxpayers should never get beaten down by the mantra that says they fail their kids with miserly funding.
As observed in Colorado, graduation rates and test scores improve when families have school choice. Policies that reward teachers who get above-average results are another good way to improve classroom outcomes.
Education is not free, and teachers deserve more remuneration than they get. That does not mean we improve outcomes by mindlessly throwing money at students and classrooms in a race to improve our ranking on a list. If so, New York, D.C., and other jurisdictions that spend the most would consistently produce the best and brightest graduates. Objective data say that is not the case.
REPRINTED FROM THE COLORADO SPRINGS GAZETTE
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