Burningham calls Utah school funding "appalling"

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

State school board member Kim Burningham today posted an entry on the State Office of Education's blog titled "Another Stark Comparison Showing Appalling Funding of Education in Utah." In the blog, Burningham discusses the New Jersey Supreme Court, which, according to the New York Times, recently ruled that "a major piece of Gov. Chris Christie's cost-cutting was unconstitutional and ordered lawmakers to raise spending for poor, urban schools by $500 million next year, despite a state budget shortfall estimated at $10 billion."

Burningham notes that New Jersey already spends almost three times as much as Utah per pupil.

Burningham writes: "Now I do not want to defend education expenditures in New Jersey, and frankly I suspect that some features of education spending in New Jersey are out of line and need "cost-cutting," but I am absolutely overwhelmed at the stark comparison. The state that spends nearly three times what we do in Utah is found by the courts to be underfunding education!

"What can be said of Utah! Our students are every bit as important as those in New Jersey, and their education should be appropriately supported. Apparently, at least some of our state leaders do not agree. To be frugal is laudable but to blatantly insist on inferior education for our children is appalling. When, oh when, will we, in Utah, place appropriate value on our students and their education!"

To see the full blog post, go here.