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We live
in an era of accountability through numbers — poll numbers, test
scores, you name it. Numbers tell the tale.
There are critics, to be sure, of judging anything strictly by the numbers,
especially when it comes to young children. But right now, numbers are
the only game in town. They are the rules of engagement in our classrooms.
So let’s look at a few more numbers to see just how California
ranks in the scheme of things nationally. The numbers were recently
released by EdSource, a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational data and
information source.
First, we are still first in the nation for having the largest number
of students. By far. One out of every eight American students sits in
a California classroom. And the large student population is remarkably
diverse. No ethnic group forms a majority.
And here’s another telling point: California spends less per student
than the national average and much less than the other large states.
We have risen from a 40th ranking in the nation to 38th in terms of
our spending per student.
But our distance below “average” is daunting. We spend nearly
$1000 per student less than the national average —between $20,000
and $30,000 per classroom. Those dollars could fund a lot of materials
and services.
So we face a double whammy: We spend the least amount of money per student
of all the large states, and we have the most number of students per
teacher of the large states — in fact, the second highest ratio
in the country. This is even the case after our class size reduction
efforts in the lower grades, because other states have been reducing
their class sizes as well.
Here are some other interesting figures: Despite high per capita personal
income — 13th in the nation— California ranks very low in
spending per $1,000 of personal income on K-12 education — 48th
in the nation.
And finally, unlike most states, California is funded primarily through
state, rather than local, sources of revenue. Writes EdSource: “School
boards in California have lost much of their ability to raise local
money for schools. With few exceptions, the legislature and the governor
control any funding increases from both state taxes and local property
taxes.”
Our state invested significantly in public education during the recent
high growth years. But so did other states, so we didn’t gain in
our national standings.
But numbers don’t tell the whole story. Some recent California
funding has been directed at professional development for teachers and
other initiatives that could bear fruit in the future. As is the case
with test scores, state rankings provide a valuable, but limited, perspective.
Still, one major point remains valid regardless of the numbers: Support
for K-12 public education will only be effective if it takes into account
the complex circumstances at play in California schools. And in that
regard, in terms of the sheer quantity and diversity of our students
and the relatively limited resources available to serve them, the numbers
really do tell a tale.
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