Comments on: Op-Ed: On TABOR II and other issues, GSS must take a stand http://mainecampus.com/2009/09/24/op-ed-on-tabor-ii-and-other-issues-gss-must-take-a-stand/ The University of Maine student newspaper since 1875 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ben http://mainecampus.com/2009/09/24/op-ed-on-tabor-ii-and-other-issues-gss-must-take-a-stand/#comment-2899 Ben Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:59:02 +0000 http://mainecampus.com/?p=3723321#comment-2899 Fact-Check Time: "Implementation of TABOR legislation in Colorado sent the Rocky Mountain State to 49th in education funding." COMPLETELY MISLEADING, AND ESSENTIALLY FALSE. According to the Census Bureau, Colorado ranks 49th in terms of dollars spent on K-12 education as a share of personal income. TABOR contributed to that as much by enhancing the earning power in the state's private economy. As the denominator of income grows, so does the ranking. But where is it implied that the more you earn the more you must spend on schools? The measure has absolutely no correlation to quality, and tells nothing about the actual amount of K-12 education expenditures. In point of fact, according to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center on Education Statistics, Colorado ranks 31st in total dollars spent per pupil ($10,160). From 1992 (when TABOR was adopted) to 2007 (latest statistics available), Colorado increased total per-pupil spending by 18 percent greater than the rate of inflation. Thanks for the opportunity to provide the context necessary to refute the misleading statistic cited here. Fact-Check Time: “Implementation of TABOR legislation in Colorado sent the Rocky Mountain State to 49th in education funding.”

COMPLETELY MISLEADING, AND ESSENTIALLY FALSE. According to the Census Bureau, Colorado ranks 49th in terms of dollars spent on K-12 education as a share of personal income. TABOR contributed to that as much by enhancing the earning power in the state’s private economy. As the denominator of income grows, so does the ranking.

But where is it implied that the more you earn the more you must spend on schools? The measure has absolutely no correlation to quality, and tells nothing about the actual amount of K-12 education expenditures.

In point of fact, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center on Education Statistics, Colorado ranks 31st in total dollars spent per pupil ($10,160). From 1992 (when TABOR was adopted) to 2007 (latest statistics available), Colorado increased total per-pupil spending by 18 percent greater than the rate of inflation.

Thanks for the opportunity to provide the context necessary to refute the misleading statistic cited here.

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