Education funding can be measured in many different ways. One of the most popular among teachers and educators is to divide the amount spent by the number of pupils. By that measure, child-rich Utah virtually always finishes last in the nation.
The rest of the taxpayers, however, may be just as interested in seeing how much they pay for education as measured by every $1,000 of income they earn. By this measure, it has historically been clear that Utahns pay a good share of their income to schools. In some years, this share has led the nation.
But no more. A newly released report by the Utah Foundation, a nonprofit research organization, shows that Utahns are spending less and less of their income for education. While there have been some spikes upward during good economic times, the trend has continued downward more or less steadily since 1991. That year, Utah government spent about $40 for every $1,000 earned for education. In fiscal 2011, the figure is projected to be $32.63.
There can be a lot of explanations for this, not all of them bad. Schools could be operating more efficiently today than in the past. There is no evidence that spending on education equates in any reliable way to outcomes. And despite what this measure may lead some to believe, actual education budgets have continued to increase.
But there is no getting around the fact that Utahns are spending less of their incomes on education as time goes by — and this despite a growing student population and an increase in charter schools, which also rely on public funding.
The recession plays a role in these measures, as well. Overall state spending has fallen from more than $100 per $1,000 in income to about $91 today.
Rather than look for more ways to extract money from the economy, Utah's leaders should search hard for new ways to organize and fund education. There are plenty of good ideas already in circulation. Some, such as reforms suggested by the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, have been highlighted by this page recently.
Utah's leaders need to always keep education as their top funding priority. The state's economy depends on an educated work force. That doesn't mean, however, that the same old measures and interpretations always have to carry the day.