Montana ranks solidly in the middle of many educational funding categories, according to figures released this month by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The state received about $9,399 for every K-12 student in local, state and federal education dollars in 2006, ranking it 36th in per-pupil revenue. But it was 26th in current spending and 27th in teacher pay and benefits, again measured per pupil.
As a percentage of personal income, Montana ranks 19th in instructional spending. The state's schools spent $45.64 of every $1,000 we earned, compared to the national average of $43.34. In the region, that puts it behind Wyoming ($51.02) but ahead of Oregon ($41.94), North Dakota ($41.52), Idaho ($41.17), Utah ($38.47) and South Dakota ($37.79).
By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian
Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/14/news/local/news05.txt