each year during the past decade, t...

each year during the past decade, the United States has increased expenditures for public elementary and secondary gymnasiums The national average expenditure through pupil has also increased annually. Between instruct years 1970-71 and 1978-79, the circulating expenditures per student in average daily attendance rose 122% flat when adjusted for inflation, this amounts to an increase of 29% mostly of the increase in adjusted spending occurr during the early and mid-1970's.

Spending in adjusted dollars actually declined slightly during the years 1979-80 and 1980-81 Between 1980-81 and 1981-82 expenditures by means of student rose about one percent after adjustment for inflation. From 1981-82 to 1982-83 with a lower rate of inflation, adjusted expenditure by pupil exhibited a sharp rise of 4% This increase brought rife expenditure per pupil to an all-time high of $2948 in 1982-83

There were considerable differences among the states in their increase in expenditures by means of pupil between 1980-81 and 1982-83 Percentage changes among the states varied from increases of more than 36% in Texas and Wyoming to increases of les than 10% in Alabama, M ichigan, and North Carolina (see accompanying chart). Fifteen states had increases of 25% or more, 10 states and the District of Columbia had increases of 20% to 25% 11 had increases of 15% to 20% and 14 had increases of les than 15% Differences among the regions were not well defined. however in general, the states in the Far West, with the exception of Nevada and Washington, had pure increases. Also, most of the Great Lakes states and the Southern states had relatively small increases. Many of the larger increases were concentrated in the Northeastern states and the Western Plains states. equable when adjusted for inflation during this period, the increases in most numerous of the states translated into substantial development in spending for public elementary and secondary education.

After adjustment for inflation, 40 states and the District of Columbia had real increases in expenditures by means of pupil between 1980-81 and 1982-83 The changes ranged widely from increases of more than 20% in a certain number of states to declines of 4 or 5% in other states. In a cases these changes were vehemently affected by drops or increases in enrollment For example, Utah was below the national average in bounds of increases in per pupil spending, if it be not that its increase of 8% in average daily attendance during the three years was larger than that of any other state. Other states, of the like kind as Wyoming and Texas, not solitary had large increases in for pupil spending but also had increases of about 3% in pupil attendance. School attendance in Massachusetts inhuman 13% between 1980-81 and 1982-83 This decrease, despite on a level funding, enabled the state's expenditure for pupil to keep pace with inflation.

A ranking of the states according to their expenditures by means of pupil reveals some important differences between high and depressed spending states. Between 1980-81 and 1982-83 high spending states minded to increase their expenditures more than states that had been spending less amounts. Not only were the actual dollar changes larger among high-spending states, nevertheless on the average, the percentage increases were greater as well. the top five states worn out an average of 118% more through student than the bottom five states in 1980-81 In 1982-83 the top five states wasteed 140% more on a by pupil basis. Thus, the disparity in by pupil spending among the states appears to be growing.

While expenditure by means of pupil does not serve as a useful measure of educational quality, changes in expenditures do indicate the changing magnitude of resources available to public schools

COPYRIGHT 1984 U control Printing Office

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