Between 2001 & 2018, The Proportion Of State Education Funding Used To Pay Teacher Retirement Costs Increased From 7.5% To 14.4%

The share of state education spending allocated to pay pension costs nearly doubled from 7.5% in 2001 to 14.4% in 2018. This is an increase from about $19 billion in 2001, to about $642 billion in 2018. While most states' share of state education funding spent on teacher pension costs increased, spending on kindergarten to grade 12 expenses increased just 19%, when accounting for inflation (from $286,914,000,000 to $362,852,000,000). As a result, other education funding, including teacher's salaries and classroom resources, was significantly cut. Education spending is defined as the amount . . .