10 Facts About K-12 Education Funding

This article from the US Department of Education has released the 10 facts that you might not know about education funding in the United States.

This article was written in 2005, let's see what happened in the past 10 years, to see the education of today.

1:The U.S. Constitution leaves the responsibility for public K-12 education with the states.
2:Total taxpayer investment in K-12 education in the United States for the 2004-05 school year is estimated to be $536 billion.
3:States and localities are the primary sources of K-12 education funding and always have been.
4:The federal share of K-12 spending has risen very quickly, particularly in recent years.
5:Total education funding has increased substantially in recent years at all levels of government, even when accounting for enrollment increases and inflation.
6:Federal funding for two main federal K-12 education programs will have increased by $9.3 billion since 2001, under the president's proposed budget.
7:Most federal funds are sent directly to states and local school districts for their use in schools.
8: There are no unfunded federal education "mandates." Every federal education law is conditioned on a state or other grantee's decision to accept federal program funds.
9: The federal commitment to education can be found in the actual dollars earmarked for education.
10: K-12 education is funded at the federal level through a variety of laws and programs.

I want you to notice how it descends...it starts off with the fact that the US Constitution says that STATES control their education from K-12, but the last line, K-12 is funded at the FEDERAL level through laws and programs. See how right before our eyes, they took control?

A CBS article shows the US in 2005 -

Among adults age 25 to 34, the U.S. is ninth among industrialized nations in the share of its population that has at least a high school degree. In the same age group, the United States ranks seventh, with Belgium, in the share of people who hold a college degree.

In 2015 down to ten.

And this after the highest educational funding in the world, more than our US Military budget in 2005. The US is so poorly educated now, I can't even find a really good site that ranks us anywhere, except in the bottom. What happened?

We have a young populace the federal government just spits out of school, students with limited social and grammar skills, teachers who blame parents, parents who blame teachers, school administrators who blame school boards, and school boards who blame the FEDERAL government, who got us into this mess because the states gave over their right to educate their students Constitutionally, for a piece of the Common Core math pie.

Young people who come to these threads, you have been hoodwinked into thinking you are educated.
Obama's proposal for 2015

The President’s 2015 Budget Proposal for Education "Opportunity is who we are. And the defining project of our generation is to restore that promise." -- Barack Obama, 2014 State of the Union address America's public schools strive to offer a path to the middle class for children from hard-working families in every community, particularly those living in poverty. Yet too many students lack access to the education and supports that make the journey to the middle class possible. The Obama administration is committed to ensuring equity of opportunity for every child.

Journey to the middle class possible? When I was in school, we were taught it was possible to go upper class, that means become wealthy through hard work. But your President gave you hope and change...yes, hope that you could possibly one day be middle class by changing the the goal posts.

There WAS equity when I was in school, we were ALL expected to achieve through hard work and dedication because education was valuable. NO ONE lacks access to education at the K-12 level. That is the biggest load of bull.

What they lack is QUALITY education.

I've always believed that a dumbing down of the general public has been in the works for many years. The best way to do that is through K-12 students. You can see it in the curriculum itself. The government does not want a truly educated populace any more.

An uneducated populace is an easily controlled populace.

originally posted by: EternalSolace
I've always believed that a dumbing down of the general public has been in the works for many years. The best way to do that is through K-12 students. You can see it in the curriculum itself. The government does not want a truly educated populace any more.

An uneducated populace is an easily controlled populace.

I have witnessed dumbing down of education in other countries also. It is a world wide agenda.

This is in the past 15 years I have observed it, drastic reduction in level and so forth, either that or the general population really IS getting dumber and they have to do this so they pass rather than have entire semesters of washed out students.

VERY VERY worrying. Also very very real. I am in academia and seen it.


To be honest, I would have a difficult justifying hiring of 80% of the students in the classes in my company.

Frankly; I wouldn't want to pay them with my money. NO way. I would rather move the company or hire in from places that still have high bars.

One reason it is getting lower, because companies are invading universities and dictating what they want. They want people that just get the job done, not high achievers. Fast and dirty. It is showing now at the university level.

I also seen the effect, the univ is plumeting down the rankings, wonder why.

I know why.

originally posted by: EternalSolace
I've always believed that a dumbing down of the general public has been in the works for many years. The best way to do that is through K-12 students. You can see it in the curriculum itself. The government does not want a truly educated populace any more.

An uneducated populace is an easily controlled populace.

I mean, what kind of statement is it "journey to middle class"? Obama isn't even middle class himself. Why didn't he say "You can become wealthy like me if you work hard"?

See, he denigrates the very people he claims to be helping.

Should I not find it offensive that the very leader of the voter base would say "the best you can hope for is less than me"? I was told when I was in school to work hard and achieve something. There was no limit to what we could become. But Obama says the best they can achieve is middle class. What an offensive statement, and I grew up in poverty.

Then you have school districts spending money on white privilege training where they train teachers to segregate kids because black kids can't be expected to come to class on time and stuff like that. Those traits are part of a "privileged" white background.

For instance, the organization teaches that black kids are less likely to respond to fundamental ideas like working hard to achieve success, or being on time for school or work, because those ideas are supposedly foreign to African-American culture.

So, you are mistaken that it's all about equity now. We have to let some lag behind because it's their "culture" to do so. And you and I know where that will take them and keep them because I know of no job in America where you can not work hard or show up when you feel like it and expect to keep that job.

But of course, that's why society is "racist" in America. And school districts pay millions for this organization to come in a train teachers to allow this to perpetuate as a valid strategy in educating future generations. How will kids who are left to do this ever succeed? They won't because they won't be prepared, but it's their "culture" to not succeed and that can't be wrong because America is racist for not letting them succeed as the not showing up for work slackers they'll turn into.

a reply to: flibbleflobble

A friend of mine who is an Art History professor in a liberal arts college lamented the fact that she had an entire class who did not know Socrates.

originally posted by: WarminIndy
a reply to: flibbleflobble

A friend of mine who is an Art History professor in a liberal arts college lamented the fact that she had an entire class who did not know Socrates.

I have a simple test, I ask them if they know specific names fundamental to their science. Nowdays they have no idea who they are, I stand in shock then shake my head in disgust.

Nowdays a lot have no idea of the fundamental backbone of their own science they claim to be majoring in.

Keep in mind , this is what I have observed in only 15 years.

I like it when a big buck comes up to me and acts all knowledgable, I then turn onto fundamental theories, they turn tail and run.

Some now even avoid me prefering to run past

Students don't even read books, I spend hours reading books, reading academic papers. And I have been in the industry a while.

Then they complain they don't understand a topic, they expect to get it from PowerPoint slides.

a reply to: ketsuko

I don't even know how to respond to that link you provided.

I am way beyond shocked and disgusted that a school actually teaches it and gets paid to do so.

a reply to: WarminIndy

I agree with you 100% it is offensive. However, having young adults become successful is a detriment to government control. Having men and women that are capable of living without a reliance on government, in their eyes, is a bad thing.

Dumbing down education has a couple of very noticeable effects in my opinion:
1) It provides a wider base of those at or just above the poverty level.
2) It makes it easier for those in power to stay in power through manipulation.

Obama isn't a fool. He's highly intelligent and has definitely succeeded in broadening those in poverty.

originally posted by: flibbleflobble

originally posted by: WarminIndy
a reply to: flibbleflobble

A friend of mine who is an Art History professor in a liberal arts college lamented the fact that she had an entire class who did not know Socrates.

I have a simple test, I ask them if they know specific names fundamental to their science. Nowdays they have no idea who they are, I stand in shock then shake my head in disgust.

Nowdays a lot have no idea of the fundamental backbone of their own science they claim to be majoring in.

Keep in mind , this is what I have observed in only 15 years.

I like it when a big buck comes up to me and acts all knowledgable, I then turn onto fundamental theories, they turn tail and run.

Some now even avoid me prefering to run past

Students don't even read books, I spend hours reading books, reading academic papers. And I have been in the industry a while.

Then they complain they don't understand a topic, they expect to get it from PowerPoint slides.

PowerPoint.

When I was an English tutor in the same liberal arts college, I had to teach students how to create PowerPoint projects and they still didn't get it.

PowerPoints were created for businesses in their meetings, not to educate people by.

originally posted by: EternalSolace
a reply to: WarminIndy

I agree with you 100% it is offensive. However, having young adults become successful is a detriment to government control. Having men and women that are capable of living without a reliance on government, in their eyes, is a bad thing.

Dumbing down education has a couple of very noticeable effects in my opinion:
1) It provides a wider base of those at or just above the poverty level.
2) It makes it easier for those in power to stay in power through manipulation.

Obama isn't a fool. He's highly intelligent and has definitely succeeded in broadening those in poverty.

Permanent lower class.

I have seen social engineering since I was in high school and in university. I graduated from high school in 1985, during the Reagan Era. Funny thing though, since then people have expressed disdain for Reagan, and yet we had the biggest push of girls going to college to become more than just the previously expected teachers or nurses.

Journey to middle class, what a way to lower the bar.

a reply to: WarminIndy

Just cause it is on some guys blog, doesn't mean it is a fact.

Think there is some liberties being taken on what he thinks the group does.


Our schools need more funding, less money spent on wars and more going back to our kids.

And I think you are missing the point on the middle class comment.
Yes those living in areas that are below the poverty line the middle class is a great place to strive for and get out of where they grew up.

It is also much more realistic.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: WarminIndy

Just cause it is on some guys blog, doesn't mean it is a fact.

Think there is some liberties being taken on what he thinks the group does.


Our schools need more funding, less money spent on wars and more going back to our kids.

And I think you are missing the point on the middle class comment.
Yes those living in areas that are below the poverty line the middle class is a great place to strive for and get out of where they grew up.

It is also much more realistic.

Just cause means that I have just cause for determining a judgement and action.

What you mean is "just because" and it was not just on some guy's blog, it was the Department of Education website and from CBS.

Do you really think I am so uneducated that I would give you my sources from some guy's opinion? Challenge the Department of Education that I referenced. And I did not mistake the middle class reference. Perhaps you did.

a reply to: WarminIndy

I am talking about the ketsko post that you had responded to and were for at a loss of words.
Context is important.

And fine if you are making a mountain out of a ant hill about the middle class comment.

To act like it is meant to keep the people down is laughable.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: WarminIndy

Just cause it is on some guys blog, doesn't mean it is a fact.

Think there is some liberties being taken on what he thinks the group does.


Our schools need more funding, less money spent on wars and more going back to our kids.

And I think you are missing the point on the middle class comment.
Yes those living in areas that are below the poverty line the middle class is a great place to strive for and get out of where they grew up.

It is also much more realistic.

No amount of funding will cause students to learn and get good grades when they the majority of their parents' are not involved, don't care, and don't force them to attend school and complete their schoolwork.

a reply to: WarminIndy

Do you think maybe this discrepancy might have something to do with wildly variable course content provided by the state all set to meet standards provided by the federal government? Either make schooling either entirely dependent on the local state governments or entirely dependent on the federal government. By splitting it, you just create an inefficient mess.

a reply to: WarminIndy

I know it sounds like a conspiracy and it could be, but not necessarily at federal level, but state, see while states have to follow guidelines in order to receive federal funding, it is at state level that education is taught, meaning that while the federal government can make recommendations and offer additional funding for certain programs, it is the state the one that actually have the power to plan the curriculum.

And yes I believe that the public education sucks even with all the money that is invested in it.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: WarminIndy

Just cause it is on some guys blog, doesn't mean it is a fact.

Think there is some liberties being taken on what he thinks the group does.


Our schools need more funding, less money spent on wars and more going back to our kids.

And I think you are missing the point on the middle class comment.
Yes those living in areas that are below the poverty line the middle class is a great place to strive for and get out of where they grew up.

It is also much more realistic.

Most public school systems have more money per student spent on them that the average private school in that same area and yet those private schools consistently out perform.

How does that happen I wonder?

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: WarminIndy

I am talking about the ketsko post that you had responded to and were for at a loss of words.
Context is important.

And fine if you are making a mountain out of a ant hill about the middle class comment.

To act like it is meant to keep the people down is laughable.

Do you mean ketsuko's post?

Yes, it is meant to keep people down. We have in the last 10 years funneled more money into education than our military budget fighting two wars. How much more money do we need to keep tossing at the sinking ship?

More money, no. Better education while the states control their education, yes.

Constitutionally, the states don't even have to accept the federal money. That means the federal government is unconstitutional in their "assistance" to each states' education systems.

When the federal government steps in to standardize a crappy level of education, overriding the states' own Constitutions, that is unconstitutional, and should be illegal.

I don't think you understand what is going on here. YOU have been provided an unconstitutional standardized education that makes students in the US ranked so low now that we are a joke to the rest of the world. Your freedom of thought has been taken away and the rest of us are showing you that problem.

Think for yourself, look at what they are doing. They have made 100,000,000 students stupid.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: WarminIndy

Do you think maybe this discrepancy might have something to do with wildly variable course content provided by the state all set to meet standards provided by the federal government? Either make schooling either entirely dependent on the local state governments or entirely dependent on the federal government. By splitting it, you just create an inefficient mess.

Yes, and the first line of my OP states that every state is responsible under the Constitution for their own education. Anything more is unconstitutional.