…Utah education funding expert Shawn Teigen, with the non-partisan research organization Utah Foundation, says Utah does do a lot more with less. For example, Utah’s graduation rate of 87% is better than nearly half the states in the U.S., including education big spender New York.
However, Teigen is quick to point out that during the past three decades, Utah lawmakers and voters have made significant changes to state law, the state constitution and taxes that have lowered the amount of money, as a percentage, going to education.
For example, in 1995 the state used to pay $58 per $1,000 of personal income to education. Twenty-six years later, that number has decreased to $48, while personal income in Utah has increased significantly in the past several decades.
“If it weren’t for all the tax changes and constitutional amendments, there would be a lot more money in education,” Teigen said…
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