Two decades of declining investment in Utah’s K-12 education has lead to a $1.2 billion reduction in available funds, according to a new report released Monday by the Utah Foundation – a non-partisan, Salt Lake City-based think tank.
The report, entitled “Getting By with Less: Two Decades of K-12 Education Revenue and Spending,” reaffirms the fact that the beehive state has the lowest per-pupil spending in the nation due in part to Utah’s young population. More than 22 percent of Utahns are between the ages of 5 and 17; the national average is just over 17 percent. In 2014, Utah spent $6,500 per student compared to the U.S. average of $11,009, a 41 percent difference. In 1995, Utah spent $3,471 per student, while the national average was $5,494, a 37 percent difference.
