State’s Public Schools Trail in U.S. Surveys of Spending

California public schools are well below the national average in per-pupil spending and the amount spent on teacher salaries, according to new Census Bureau figures.

The statistics, available on the Internet at https://www.census.gov, are for the 1995-96 school year and include detailed spending comparisons.

The figures show that California spent $5,609 per student in 1995-96, making the state 36th in the nation. The U.S. average was $6,450. States vary in calculating per-pupil spending.

A survey by the National Education Assn. found that California’s per-pupil spending was $5,327 in 1997-98, ranking the state 41st. Gov. Gray Davis’ Finance Department says the per-pupil figure for this year is $5,752, still well below average.

When personal income, a measurement of individuals’ wealth and standard of living, is factored in, California’s per-pupil spending drops to 48th.

Although average California teacher salaries have been among the nation’s highest, the state ranked 35th in total spending for teacher salaries in 1996-97, according to the report released last week. California’s average teacher salary in 1996-97 was $43,474, the ninth-highest in the country, according to the education association.

One reason the state can have high salaries but low total spending for them is large class sizes, meaning California has been paying fewer teachers than other states, proportionately. The state was second-worst in the nation in class sizes in 1996-97, according to the NEA.