Robert Robb, columnist | azcentral.com
Doug Ducey, the Republican nominee for governor, says that he wants to reform Arizona’s system of education finance to produce better results at no higher cost.
Is that possible?
Theoretically, it should be. Practically, it would be a daunting task.
Much is made of Arizona’s low rank in per-pupil funding compared to other states. However, the United States in general spends considerably more on primary and secondary education than other developed countries, with not much to show for it.
From all sources for all purposes, Arizona spends $9,300 per pupil. That’s roughly the average for other developed countries, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. We spend in the ballpark of France and Finland, and Finland has one of the highest-achieving education systems in the world.
