The Center for Budget Policy and Priorities, a DC-based think tank with a reputation for honest use of data, has a new report out on Colorado’s budget and the impact of TABOR
Here is how CBPP describes themselves: “The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals.”
Since I’m sure some critics will weigh in with arguments that it is not TABOR that causes these outcomes, it is Gallagher, A-B, Amendment 23, late 1990s tax cuts, TABOR, and the full litany, I’ll stipulate that, yes, these are “TABOR + etc” impacts. But TABOR defenders are often not fully honest when they don’t admit that TABOR explicitly incorporates other tax and expenditure limitations into the state Constitution, so it is indeed at the core of these changes.
I highly recommend reading the full report, though perhaps read it on an empty stomach – the picture is truly not pretty.
Here is CBPP’s K12 summary (and remember, K12 spending has been “protected” by Amendment 23 since 2000):
- “Between 1992 and 2001, Colorado declined precipitously from 35th to 49th in the nation in K-12 spending as a percentage of personal income. As of 2006, the state maintained its low ranking among the states at 48th.
- Colorado’s average per-pupil funding fell by more than $600 relative to the national average between 1992 and 2006.
- Colorado’s average teacher salary compared to average pay in other occupations declined from 30th in the nation in 1992 to a low of 50th in 2001, and edging up only slightly to 49th in the nation as of 2007.”
So, in the protected spending area of K12, Colorado went from a more/less average state in 1992 to one near the bottom by several measures.
Here is the CBPP summary for higher education in Colorado:
- “Under TABOR, higher education funding per resident student dropped by 31 percent after adjusting for inflation; after TABOR’s suspension, it declined by another 3 percent.
- College and university funding as a share of personal income declined from 35th in the nation in 1992 to 48th in 2004; Colorado maintains that ranking in 2008.”
Again, Colorado goes from an average spending state to the very bottom in higher ed.
And, since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a couple of not-so-pretty pictures. (You can click on the photos to make them larger and sharper.)
Remember, this is the Colorado education spending scenario BEFORE the 2010/11 budget, where additional cuts are just beginning to be described in the newspapers and Ed News, and look like 8% for K12 and 20-40% for higher ed.
Popularity: 33% [?]
Wow…what a great time to make vague proclamations about “balanced budgets” and “fiscal responsibility. Where are these “Tea bag” party people from?? We never hear this hue and cry when we’re being asked to yet-again boost our ever-increasing national military and prison budgets to the stratosphere…check out:
http://www.nationalpriorities.org
Nice false argument, Tabor has not been a factor in the bidget for a few years since the overall revenue stream is lower. Tabor just kept government growth in check at a very reasonable 4%, if our legislators cannot deal with that than we need new ones.
I like how supporters of TABOR cannot spell, punctuate, or use correct grammar. Seems like ironic/poetic support for the opposing view.
Personal Income is irrelevant is a measure of funding for education. Does a wealthier state have an obligation to spend more on education? Colorado ranks average, on a “per pupil” basis when compared to the other 49 states. The “48th ranking” gets headlines but is irrelevant. Colorado ranks 1 or 2 on a “altitude above sea level per pupil” basis…why not use that?
We don’t need more money for education. We need better management of education.
@Christopher, Do you have data to support the claim that Colorado is “average” in terms of per pupil expenditure? The only thing I turned up in the quick search I have time for is a national average on per pupil expenditures from 2005 – 2006 which was $9,154 (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=66) which has surely increased in the past 4 years. This year I believe some states have exceeded $15,000 (not a guarantee of quality) but I’m not finding a good number for Colorado this year.
This CBPP study looks at nearly 20 years of TABOR, and shows the trends. The fact that TABOR constraints are not the current budget problem is true, in a narrow sense, but past constraints helped cause the current funding situation. The long term trends are clear.
Ed Week in 2010 ranks Colorado 40th of the 50 states in per pupil spending, when you adjust for regional costs-of-living, which makes sense to do. In absolute terms, with no adjustments for anything, Colorado is rated 50th in state support for higher education, per FTE pupil.
@Jeff Buck: follow this link ( http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheader=application%2Fpdf&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1239160385390&ssbinary=true ) for a study reported by the Colorado Legislative Council Staff dated February 2000. It ranks Colorado as 32nd on a “dollars per pupil” basis during the school year 1996-1997. Fast forward to this report ( http://www.epodunk.com/top10/per_pupil/ ) that covers the 2001-2002 school year and Colorado is ranked 34th. The ranking is very consistent over those years. That ranking puts Colorado right in the second quartile (slightly better than average) over the last 14 years.
You can massage the numbers any way you want (see the comment on Ed Week, 2010) to get any outcome that you are after, but the bottom line is that using personal income as a basis for ranking has no relevancy. In today’s “sound bite” environment, if an untruth is repeated enough, it starts to take on a “truth” of its own.
Many years ago, Mark Twain said: “There are lies, damn lies and statistics.”.
My closing remark still remains true, as many studies have shown that more dollars thrown at education doesn’t improve the outcome. Better management does.
I am a college student who is now being asked to pay more money. Do you think it’s fair, that students take the brunt. Colorado is still in the lower percentile according to those reports. Better management requires sacrifice from the citizens of Colorado to take a stand with their voices, votes, and tax dollars.