State spending on schools dipped in 2010

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WASHINGTON, June 21 (UPI) -- State funding for public schools in the United States declined 6.5 percent between 2009 and 2010, the Census Bureau said Thursday.

This was the biggest drop in state funding on education since the bureau began tracking it in 1977, statisticians said. Overall funding was almost flat at $593.7 billion in 2010, up 0.5 percent from the year before.

Public school districts spent a total of $602.6 million, down 0.4 percent from 2009. This was the first decline in overall spending since 1977.

The bureau released "Public Education Finances: 2010," which provides statistics on everything from teacher salaries to spending for student transportation.

Local governments contributed $261.4 billion or 44 percent of the total and states almost as much, $258.2 billion or 43.5 percent. The federal government kicked in $74 billion or 12.5 percent, up 32 percent from 2009.