Cutting school funding is not an appropriate solution to balance state budgets

As many states face budget shortfalls due to the impacts of the pandemic, experts at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities write of the importance of continuing to strive for equitable education and K-12 funding. Before the pandemic began, fifteen U.S. states—including New Hampshire and Rhode Island—had been sued over their inadequate or inequitable school funding. Cuts to school funding were a prominent strategy used to balance state budgets during the Great Recession and may be used again in this crisis. Experts warn of the consequences of these measures besides additional lawsuits—a study from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that for every 10 percent of funding that was cut due to the Great Recession, graduation rates decreased by 2.6 percentage points. #covid-19 #education