State Spending for New England's Public Schools

During the past ~o years, fiscal troubles in New England have severely limited state governments’ ability to increase funding for elementary and secondary schooling. Despite growing concerns about the quality of public education, two states, Connecticut and New Hampshire, cut inflation-adjusted K-12 spending in Fiscal Year 1992 (FY92) and FY93 (Chart 1). The other four cut spending in one of the ~o years. Looking Vermont, ranks fifth in New England in the degree to which it subsidizes its local school districts (Table 1 ). The state that cut its aid by the lowest percentage, Maine, ranks first. Despite their high degree of financial independence, New Hampshire’s school districts have also been adversely affected by aid cuts.