Dive Brief:

• K-12 education spending is in a fragile state, with 29 states slashing spending since 2008.  
• Of those 29 states, 14 cut spending by at least 10%, according to a Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), "Most States Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession​." Oklahoma saw the most cuts, with a 24% decline in state K-12 spending.  
• In addition to cuts in state spending, federal education spending has also been on the decline since the recession began: Federal aid to districts with large low-income populations has fallen by 10% since 2010.  

Dive Insight:

Cuts in state spending means local districts must pick up the tab, a reality which often leads to teacher cuts. These cuts, as well as shortcuts around supplies, can really hurt students' future outcomes. Michael Leachman, CBPP's director of state fiscal research, explained to USA Today that education spending is something like a long-term investment, one that determines students' later choices.  "The jobs of the 21st century are jobs that require a highly educated workforce, " he said, later adding, "And if we are underfunding the education of our children, that's going to hurt our economy and all of us in the long run."

When 24/7 Wall St. looked into the states with the biggest cuts (10% or more), they found that six of those 14 states had the lowest math and reading scores on standardized tests. Additionally, 11 of those states had lower educational attainment rates than the national average.