A recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities highlights reductions in state funding for education since the beginning of the economic recession in 2008. As we approach the five-year anniversary of the financial meltdown that helped to spur this recession, the report shows that many states are still dealing with the lingering effects and have not yet returned to pre-recession funding levels for education.
Budget austerity in many states has resulted in deep cuts to education since 2008 and these cuts have largely persisted into the 2013-14 school year. The report finds that 34 states are providing less funding for K-12 education in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 than was available in FY 2008, based on per-student expenditures and adjusted for inflation. Among the states that have seen the deepest cuts, Alabama and Oklahoma have reduced per-student funding by over 20 percent since FY 2008. The loss of state-level support is impacting local school districts that must make up for the shortfall, often through reductions in personnel and student services.
The report also points out that reductions in federal support for education, including the across-the-board sequester cut, have worsened the budget gaps faced by local school districts. Federal funding for CTE was reduced by over $140 million between 2010 and 2012. As a result of sequestration, Perkins funds have been cut by $58 million for the 2013-14 school year. Compounding federal and state cuts in education funding puts a greater burden on schools and students. Tell Congress we can’t afford more cuts to CTE!
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