Although state education spending has increased slightly, districts will need to see a much larger hike in funding to meet all the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, a report released last week by the National Education Association contends.
The Fall 2004 update of “Rankings and Estimates” is available online from the National Education Association. ()
The report estimates that average per-pupil state spending increased by 3.6 percent—to $8,208—for the 2003-04 school year over the previous year. It also estimates that the salaries of public school teachers increased in that time by 2 percent—or less than the rate of inflation. The average salary for 2003-04 year was $46,726.
The District of Columbia had the highest per-pupil spending; Utah had the lowest. California had the highest average teacher salary, while South Dakota had the lowest.
