Latest Math Scores Further Expose School Funding Lawsuit Irresponsibility
Though many in the brain trust that runs South Dakota’s education system want government to sue itself using taxpayer money for more taxpayer money (that the courts have already admitted will not happen even if they win such an asinine lawsuit), their foundation for such a lawsuit (I’m being very generous here by saying there is any foundation whatsoever, no matter how tenuous) just got even more mushy.
I’m talking about the school funding lawsuit being pushed in the state of South Dakota that claims the legislature isn’t providing enough taxpayer largess funding for the state’s education system. Those pushing the lawsuit claim the legislature isn’t “adequately funding” education.
This is pure hogwash, as I have pointed out many times:
The latest information available from the American Legislative Exchange Council in their 2008 “Report Card on American Education” finds South Dakota ranked 5th in the nation for academic achievement and 39th in per-pupil spending ($7,790). Washington D.C. is ranked 51st in academic achievement even though they are #3 in per-pupil spending at a whopping $13,848 per student. South Dakota also beats the national average of a 70.2% graduation rate at 79.6%. Obviously spending has very little to do with achieving funding “adequate to allow students to be responsible and intelligent citizens.”
Now there is fresh evidence that this school funding lawsuit is an unnecessary waste of time and taxpayer money.
From KOTA:
South Dakota students topped the national average in a math test for students in 4th and 8th grades.
The state Education Department says only four states scored higher than South Dakota at the 8th grade level. The state average score was 291, compared to a national average of 282.
Obviously state funding for education is “adequate,” arguably “more than adequate.” A sparsely-populated rural state like South Dakota is leading the nation in academic performance.
But if your definition of “adequate funding” includes more cash for unions, administrative overhead and miscellaneous waste, then no, I don’t suppose South Dakota is doing enough to “adequately” fund such vital educational resources.
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