Capitol Ideas - Council of State Governments

CSG'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | notes
“the only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.”
education holds a Miraculous and transformative Power
With this issue of Capitol Ideas we go “back to school” with a focus on education. Education
is perhaps the single most important function of state government. Getting education
right is a high priority for the states. The challenges are great, but the cost of getting it
wrong is one no state can afford to bear.
The U.S. public education system consists of about 14,000 local school districts and nearly
99,000 schools. In the 2007–08 school year, 48 percent of all revenues for public elementary
and secondary education were provided by the states, while 44 percent came from local
sources. More than three-fourths of this local portion was derived from local property
taxes. The federal government contributed a relatively small share, just 8 percent.
State spending for education has grown over the past decade. Total expenditures for
public elementary and secondary education rose from about $334 billion in 1997–98 to
roughly $597 billion in 2007–08, an increase of 79 percent—or 36 percent when adjusted
for inflation. Per pupil expenditures, when adjusted for inflation, increased by 26 percent
during the same time period.
The budget crisis brought on by the economic downturn, however, has forced many states to cut education spending.
State leaders know that an educated citizenry is essential for a self-governing society, for a well-trained workforce and for “life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness” to be enjoyed by all. Investments in education yield a solid return. A high school dropout will earn
about $260,000 less than high school graduates and $800,000 less than college graduates in their lifetimes. High school dropouts
have a life expectancy 9.2 years shorter than high school graduates. College graduates are three times more likely to vote than
high school dropouts. Amazingly, research has shown, a one-year increase in average years of schooling for dropouts would reduce
murder and assault rates by almost 30 percent, motor vehicle theft by 20 percent, arson by 13 percent, and burglary and larceny by
almost 6 percent.
The majority of a school district’s budget is spent on teachers. In 2007–08, the average salary for a teacher in the U.S. was $49,600.
Primary and middle school teachers earn 61 percent of the average salaries paid to other U.S. employees with the same experience
and a college education. High school teachers earn 65 percent. These ratios place our teachers near the bottom of the list when
compared to ratios in other countries.
Education reform is happening in the states. Forty-five states have agreed to adopt the Common Core State Standards and most
of these states also have agreed to implement common assessments to measure students’ progress in learning the material in the
standards. CSG is proud of the role we have played in convening state leaders to learn more about these reform efforts. You can read
more about this effort in the pages that follow.
While the statistics are telling, for me, education has always been a very personal pursuit. I can still name each of my elementary
school teachers (and I’m guessing many of you can as well). These educators in Salina, Kan., had a profound impact on my aspirations,
my career and my enjoyment of life. They taught me to read, to write, to reason, and to work and play well with others. From
my first day of kindergarten to my last days in law school, I was blessed with dedicated teachers whose passion for learning helped
kindle my own pursuit of knowledge. As my own daughter, Nell, started sixth grade this fall, I saw in her the work of great educators.
She is a self-confident, bright, articulate, courteous girl with a curiosity about the world around her. Her test scores tell me she is full
of knowledge. Her outlook on life tells me she is full of wonder and wisdom. What a miraculous and transformative power education
holds! Often the complexities of education policy fail to focus on the fundamental fact that a great teacher can have a profound
impact on the life of a child.
CSG values the opportunity to educate state leaders about education—particularly what works in education today. We give state
leaders lots of extra credit for the innovations they are pursuing in their states. We love sharing their success stories with you in this
issue of Capitol Ideas. We hope you find this issue enlightening, and don’t worry, there won’t be a test.
—Benjamin Franklin
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CAPITOL IDEAS » SEPT / OCT 2012