Too many state governors operate under the assumption that the key
to economic growth is to cut taxes – but it is not.
The recession of 2008-2009 was devastating for just about every
state. Overall, 50 state tax revenue declined about 12% in that two year time
period, but some states did worse. We’re all familiar with the disaster that
Sam Brownback brought to Kansas, but Arizona’s relentless tax cutting produced
even worst results. By the middle of 2009, tax revenue in Kansas had declined
at roughly the save average as the 50 state total (12%), but Arizona’s tax
revenue actually declined nearly 20% in the same time period.
In the 12 year time period from 2006 forward, the 50 state
increase in revenue is up 9%, Kansas is only up by 2%, and Arizona’s tax
revenue growth is exactly ZERO. For those who think that high taxes kill growth,
it’s worthwhile to note that Massachusetts, a high tax state, has tax revenues 3%
higher than the national average.
The difference between having a robust economy and a lousy one
is the state’s investment in education. To a very large degree, states that
spend the most on education have the best schools, the highest per capita
income, and the lowest percentage of children living in poverty.
The chart below overlays a couple of statistics that prove
that education is KEY almost all the time. As always, there will be some
exceptions, since New York and Washington D.C spend the most per pupil on
students. New York's schools are only average, and the D.C. area has some of the
worst schools in the country.
The column below ranks state school systems, from best to worst. The other columns show other variables. |
|||||||
H.S. grade rate | per pupil spending | bachelor's degrees | low income | per cap income | religious | ||
1 | Mass | 13th | 7th | 1st - 43.4% | 26.70% | 61,000 | 50 |
2 | N.J. | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd - 39.7% | 29.40% | 60,000 | 19 |
3 | N.H. | 9th | 10th | 8th - 36.9 % | 22.80% | 55,000 | 50 |
4 | Conn. | 15th | 2nd- $18.958 | 5th - 38.7 % | 29.30% | 67,000 | 47 |
5 | VT | 11th | 4th - $17,873 | 7th - 38.3 % | 33.00% | 48,000 | 48 |
6 | Minn | 34th | 17th | 9th | 28.30% | 51,000 | 35 |
7 | VA | 20th | 24th | 5th - 38.7 % | 30.60% | 52,000 | 14 |
8 | WY | 38th | 6th | 37th | 34.40% | 55,000 | 22 |
9 | NE | 4th | 18th | 21st | 36.40% | 48,000 | 22 |
10 | IA | 1st - 91.3% | 36th | 32nd | 32.80% | 45,000 | 19 |
H.S. grade rate | per pupil spending | adults with bachelors degree | % of low income | per cap income | |||
11 | UT | 26th | WORST - $6953 | 12th | 31.50% | 39,000 | 12 |
12 | MD | 12th | 12th | 3rd - 39.7% | 28.80% | 56,000 | 2 |
13 | ND | 13th | 15th | 25th | 27.70% | 54,000 | 27 |
14 | PA | 21st | 9th | 23rd | 35.40% | 49,000 | 27 |
15 | CO | 44th | 37th | 2nd - 41.% | 30.90% | 50,000 | 41 |
16 | WI | 9th | 2rd | 26th | 33.90% | 46,000 | 44 |
17 | Wash | 39th | 21st | 11th | 32.40% | 51,000 | 44 |
18 | Ind. | 19th | 33rd | 40th | 39.80% | 41,000 | 22 |
19 | KS | 23rd | 31st | 14th | 38.00% | 46,000 | 19 |
20 | SD | 27th | 39th | 34th | 34.60% | 45,000 | 16 |
H.S. grade rate | per pupil spending | adults with bachelors degree | % of low income | per cap income | |||
21 | ME | 17th | 16th | 20th | 31.70% | 42,000 | 48 |
22 | Mont | 24th | 25th | 19th | 37.80% | 41,000 | 39 |
23 | Ohio | 28th | 19th | 35th | 40.00% | 43,000 | 17 |
24 | ILL | 25th | 13th | 13th | 36.60% | 49,000 | 33 |
25 | Del | 25th | 11th | 22nd | 37.40% | 48,000 | 32 |
26 | NY | 37th | HIGHEST-$23K | 10th | 38.90% | 58,000 | 43 |
27 | FL | 36th | 27th | 27th | 45.20% | 44,000 | 10 |
28 | NC | 22nd | 44th | 25th | 42.50% | 41,000 | 10 |
29 | RI | 30th | 8th | 17th | 32.40% | 51,000 | 35 |
30 | MO | 6th | 29th | 30th | 40.50% | 43,000 | 15 |
H.S. grade rate | per pupil spending | adults with bachelors degree | % of low income | per cap income | |||
31 | Hawaii | 31st | 14th | 18th | 27.10% | 48,000 | 41 |
32 | KY | 7th | 32nd | 45th | 42.50% | 39,000 | 13 |
33 | TX | 5th | 40th | 28th | 44.40% | 47,000 | 11 |
34 | Idaho | 39th | 49th | 49th | 41.50% | 38,000 | 33 |
35 | GA | 43rd | 35th | 25th | 43.00% | 41,000 | 8 |
36 | Tenn | 8th | 43rd | 38th | 43.90% | 42,000 | 3 |
37 | Oregon | 47th | 28th | 14th | 38.10% | 43,000 | 39 |
38 | Mich | 39th | 20th | 30th | 40.50% | 42,000 | 27 |
39 | Ark | 17th | 34th | 47th | 48.80% | 39,000 | 5 |
40 | CA | 29th | 22nd | 16th | 39.50% | 53,000 | 35 |
H.S. grade rate | per pupil spending | adults with bachelors degree | % of low income | per cap income | |||
41 | SC | 32nd | 30th | 35th | 46.50% | 38,000 | 6 |
42 | OK | 35th | 46th | 42nd | 47.00% | 44,000 | 9 |
43 | WV | 3rd- 89.8% | 25th | lowest - 20.2% | 46.30% | 37,000 | 7 |
44 | Alaska | 46th | 5th | 33rd | 33.30% | 56,000 | 44 |
45 | AZ | 42nd | 47th - $7613 | 29th | 44.80% | 39,000 | 27 |
46 | Alabama | 16th | 38th | 42nd | 46.20% | 39,000 | 1 - 77% |
47 | NV | 49th | 41st | 44th | 41.60% | 42,000 | 35 |
48 | Miss | 33rd | 45th | 49th | 51.20% | 35,000 | 1 - 77% |
49 | LA | 45th | 27th | 46th | 49.30% | 44,000 | 4 |
50 | NM | lowest - 71% | 36th | 39th | 52.90% | 38,000 | 18 |
51 | DC | 28,000 | 71,000 | 27 | |||
U.S. | 48,000 | ||||||
H.S. grade rate | per pupil spending | adults with bachelors degree | % of low income | per cap income | |||
If your life is feeling like it’s a dead end, the logical
response is to ask for help from a higher power, which is why 77% of the
population of Alabama and Mississippi consider themselves to be “very religious”
– which makes them prey to religious hucksters.
John Oliver produced a show about 3 years ago that gave more insight
into the problem:
Finland now has the best public schools in the world, and a
large part of the reason is that teaching is a highly regarded profession, and
teachers are paid very well.
In contract, too many teachers in America do not get the respect
that they deserve. Arizona does not have the lowest average teacher salary, but
it is close to the bottom, with an average of $47,456, for a ranking of 47.
South Dakota is the worst, with an average of $40,934, and the highest average
salary is in New York, which has an average of $77,629, only slightly above the
District of Columbia, which has an average of
$75,490.
Since I work as a substitute teacher most days of the week, I
see firsthand how hard teachers have to work. Part of that work involves class
size, and Arizona has the 2nd highest average number of students per
class in the country, at 23.8. Only Nevada is higher.
Due to poor pay, and difficult working conditions, many states
have trouble attracting teachers. As of September of 2018, nearly 1 in 4
Arizona teaching positions are not filled. The teacher walkout last spring was
a desperate attempt by the teachers to recover some of $1 billion that state
had cut from education in the last decade, and they succeeded – at least to a
degree.
There is a very old saying that if you want to get water out
of that well, you need to prime the pump. By the same token, if you want GREAT
economic growth in your state, you first have to “prime the pump” – by investing
in education.
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