Why do we spend so much on education?

There have been many questions about education spending in Wyoming and the cuts being made by our legislature. There are many in the legislature that believe we are not getting our “bang for the buck”. This perception is based on the fact that we spend more per student than most of the rest of the nation. These cuts are being made without looking deeper into why we spend the money we do in Wyoming. The facts are Wyoming spends an average of $15,797 per student, where as the national average is $11,009 per student. ( https://www.census.gov/govs/school/) We do spend more than the surrounding states, but do we only want to be as good as our neighbors? We are ranked 7th in the nation for quality of education, where as South Dakota is 38th, Idaho is 48th, Montana is 23rd, Colorado is 26th, and Nebraska is 19th.( http://www.edweek.org/ew/qc/2017/2017-state-education-grades-map.html?intc=EW-QC17-TOC)

So why is it we spend so much on education? We must be overpaying our teachers? Average teacher pay in Wyoming is $57,414 which is below the national average. (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjN7cnUnszSAhXn1IMKHY0OAasQFggjMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nea.org%2Fassets%2Fdocs%2F2016_NEA_Rankings_And_Estimates.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEIecT2BWtRQl3wEnidgtnAaBqKpg&sig2=qFcjRhz4dZ4E3eQm-mCjjw) The average for Hot Springs County School District is $52,572. (http://wyoea.org/files/2012/11/Salary-Book-2016-17.pdf)

It must be something other than “education needs to be more efficient”. Wyoming is ranked 7th in the nation for education spending per capita, the other 6 states that spend more than us, are also ranked high for quality of education with the exception of Alaska. The high cost of education in Alaska is largely due to the fact, that there is low population density, there is 1 population per square mile. Wyoming has 6. The facts are, it is expensive to pay for education, if you live in the middle of nowhere. Wyoming has been very efficient with education spending, which is proven when you consider that our costs are high like Alaska’s are, but we are ranked 7th and they are ranked 24th. There are 33 schools in the state of Wyoming with 16 or less students in the entire school. So what are our alternatives? Bus these students to larger population centers? This too is expensive, plus you have the added liability of busing kids in Wyoming winters.

So what can we really do about this? The money just isn’t there, we have to make cuts. This statement is only true if you don’t bother to increase taxes or look for other avenues. Wyoming is the 2nd lowest taxed state in the nation. (https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer/2416/) There were several alternatives proposed during the legislative session that were all shot down. (http://thesheridanpress.com/scsd1-officials-argue-senates-cuts/) Tax increases aside, there are billions available in the rainy day fund and within the state budget, if we quit hording money. ( http://trib.com/opinion/columns/taxpayers-should-be-furious-with-the-legislature-s-handling-of/article_0410521f-315d-5ea8-8853-f112ded67647.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share)

According to the paper published by the Legislative Service Office (LSO) the cuts for this year are 3.8% or 56 million when you account for changes made in the 2016 budget session. 22 million from the 2016 Budget Session and 34 million from the 2017 General Session. (http://legisweb.state.wy.us/LSOWEB/SchoolFinance/Documents/2017EndOfSessionSummary.pdf) None of this accounts for the cuts in the External Cost Adjustment (ECA) since 2010.

I understand that many of the junior legislators are being guided by the senior legislators and many of these cut were done prior to their tenure, however they really need to account for these things as they move forward with the legislature. I would suggest doing your own homework, instead of listening to the senior legislature, which refuses to look at facts anymore. If you continue to cut, we will no longer be in the top 10 in the nation, and our students will suffer.

Tobi Johansen