Texas’s Per-Pupil Spending Lags Behind National Average

AUSTIN, Texas-According to a recent study, Texas’s per-pupil spending increased 14.3 percent between 1997 and 2002, but despite that increase, the state’s per-pupil spending increased slower than the national average of 16.8 percent, ranking it behind 30 other states and the District of Columbia.

The study was conducted by the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, the State University of New York’s public policy research branch. The study compared local, state and federal spending on instruction and educational operations. The study excluded money spent on debt service and construction costs.

The office of Texas Governor Rick Perry disputes the study’s results. A spokesman says the state’s record on education spending was better than what the institute reported, and would be even higher if construction-related costs were included. The spokesman says Gov. Perry and the Legislature are committed to education, and that that commitment should not be based on spending but on test scores.

However, an independent analysis conducted by the Austin-based Center for Public Policy and Priorities supports the study’s findings. The organization, which serves as an advocacy group for low- and middle-income Texans, indicated the state might rank even lower than reported because of last year’s budget cuts that were not included in the study. The state allocated $14.1 billion for school operations in 2003, but cut funding to $13.2 billion in 2004.