In 2012, most states had exhausted their federal stimulus funding, meaning states had to replace this funding in their education budgets. The National School Report Card report shows that states are still struggling to restore state aid to pre-Recession levels. The report points out the states that are providing fair school funding, as well as those that are falling behind.
“Students in the nation’s highest-spending state (New York) receive about $12,000 more each year than students in the lowest-spending state (Idaho),” according to the report. Only 15 states in 2012 provided more resources to poor districts than affluent districts. In 2012, North Carolina’s per-pupil funding fell to $7,235, the fourth lowest in the country, after funding levels peaked below the national average between 2007 and 2010.
Children from low-income families are now the majority in U.S. public schools, according to the Southern Education Foundation. To respond to this change, the report urges the nation to spend more on public education to ensure fairness among all children.
Read more of the report to see how North Carolina compares with other states.