This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Re "Better scores: Utah can only do so much with less" (Our View, Sept. 11):
Utahns should be proud that their state is improving educational results while keeping its rank as the nation's lowest state in per-pupil spending. Utah should not worry about falling behind other states in the spending race.
Although Tribune editors seem not to like this fact, research has consistently shown that increasing education spending does not increase education quality. One of the latest studies to demonstrate this was a huge Harvard University data comparison across every state. As study author Paul Peterson noted, when school districts get more money, they are not likely to spend it in the most effective ways. In other words, school districts tend to treat extra money like ice cream: a tasty, fattening and short-lived snack.
In an age of necessary government spending cuts, Utah should be a model for other states rather than derided by its own for a difficult and significant success.
Joy Pullmann Research fellow, Heartland Institute
Chicago