The left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities recently updated their report on changes to education budgets in 46 states.
The report focused on changes between FY2008 and FY2012. However, the CBPP comparisons of FY2011 and FY2012 budgets are more relevant to the political debate in North Carolina.
According to the CBPP analyses of FY11 to FY12, North Carolina’s Republican majority reduced inflation-adjusted per pupil spending by 1.5 percent or $71. Compared to North Carolina, 28 state legislatures approved larger percentage decreases and 29 had larger dollar reductions. The CBPP report shows that 37 of 46 states cut per pupil spending between the last fiscal year and the current one.
Between FY08 and FY11, the former Democratic majority cut inflation-adjusted per pupil spending in North Carolina by an estimated 13.2 percent or $731. (Note: I arrived at these estimates by subtracting the FY11-FY12 percentage and dollar amount from the FY08-FY12 figures.)
