In her weekly legislative update, Senator Caryn Tyson talked about school funding. K-12 funding has been a topic discussed for years. Tyson says with spending increases over the years, the money still doesn’t get to the teachers and classrooms. From 2020 to 2024, it was reported the statewide average spending per pupil increased $3,476, from $14,848 to $18,324. She says it’s the largest expenditure in the state budget and…the increased spending isn’t helping. An Education Funding Task Force has been established to do a deep dive on K-12 funding. The task force is made up of legislators and lay people. A post-audit report, completed in 2022, by a non-partisan group reported that only about 1/3 of students met state standards in three major subjects.
Many legislators believe the money is not being spent on students in the classroom, but on salaries for administrators and an increase in admin positions. It’s also been reported that school districts have over $1 billion in cash reserves. Tyson is hopeful the task force will consider how the money is being spent and managed.
