“Don't tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you
spend your money and I'll tell you what they are.” —James W. Frick (1924- ), Former Vice President for
Public Relations, Alumni Affairs, and Development, University of Notre Dame.
Exactly what is the percent of the Iowa State Budget spent on PK-12
education?
That should be fairly easy to determine,
one would think. But it all depends on assumptions and what is included in
the revenues compared. We’ve heard everything from 43% to 60% of the state
budget is spent on education. Those numbers are mathematically correct
based on different assumptions, such as considering only the state General
Fund and whether you include community colleges, regents and other
educational line items. However, a more in depth look at the numbers shows
the relatively low priority investment Iowa makes in K-12 education
compared to the rest of the nation.
According to LSA Fiscal Facts, June 2013, page 43, 25.0% of FY 2012 State
Governmental Expenditures are spent on Education. Although well below the
43% figure often quoted, that’s still not even the whole story.
Apples to Apples:
The National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) published their
annual State Expenditure Report
analyzing all state expenditures excluding bonds (not just general fund.)
In their analysis on Table 5, page 11, titled State Spending by Function,
as a Percent of Total State Expenditures, Fiscal 2012, they report the
following percentages:
Iowa Elementary and Secondary Education for FY 2012 was 16.8% of total state spending.
That compares with an average of 18.9% in the plain states region in which
Iowa is categorized and well below the national average of 20.0% for all
states.
Also worthy to note: Iowa dedicates 25% of total state spending to Higher
Education, which is well above the national average of 10.5%. Although Iowa
is fortunate to have three regents’ institutions, including higher
education in total educational expenditures masks Iowa’s lower investment
in K-12 compared to the nation. The graphic below, from page 4 of the
Report, shows the total state expenditures (aggregated nationally) by
function for Fiscal 2012, delineating K-12 and higher education for the
nation:
The history of Iowa’s percentage of total state funds compared to the
nation includes data from the report as follows:
The report also explains spending trends in Fiscal 2013, on page 14 of the
report: “States have begun to restore some prior cuts to K-12 education as
the economy has slowly improved and state revenues have begun to increase.”
Members of the
Education Coalition Agree: The legislature should follow the law, set the
cost per pupil during this legislative session for the 2015-16 school year,
and allow school districts to meet planning, budgeting and bargaining deadlines,
as well as fully engage in school reform efforts. Any delay in setting the
rate will stymie the very school improvement the bi-partisan legislature
and governor created last year. Setting the per pupil cost this session for
the 2015-16 school year maintains the bi-partisan priority status of
educating Iowa children.
NASBO State Expenditure Report 2013,
Brought to you by the
joint efforts of Iowa Association of School Boards, School Administrators
of Iowa, Iowa Area Education Agencies, Iowa State Education Association,
and the Urban Education Network of Iowa in support of adequate and timely
school funding.
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