K-12 spending vs. outcomes: Public schools spent nearly $1 trillion in 2024, but 12th-grade reading scores are 10 points lower than they were in 1992, raising questions about where the money actually goes.
Minnesota Truth Council: Gov. Tim Walz appointed members to a new council charged with documenting the impacts of two federal immigration enforcement operations that swept through the state earlier this year.
Illinois rideshare union: Illinois lawmakers passed a bill that would let nearly 100,000 Uber and Lyft drivers unionize, making Illinois one of only three states to pass a law allowing contract workers to organize.
New Jersey ICE facility: New Jersey sued the private operator of a Newark immigration detention center this week after state health inspectors were blocked from conducting a full inspection of the facility.
Seattle homeless agency: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson must review the troubled King County Regional Homeless Authority and decide by Aug. 1 whether the city stays in or moves to dissolve an agency a forensic audit found could not account for millions of dollars.
Public schools spent nearly $1 trillion in 2024. Test scores keep falling.
Photo: Allison Shelley / EDUimages / CC BY-NC 4.0 / Edited in Canva
What we found: National Assessment of Educational Progress data show the average 12th-grade reading score fell three points since 2019 and sits 10 points below the first assessment in 1992. Math scores dropped three points over the same period. Public K-12 schools spent nearly $1 trillion in 2024, with average per-pupil spending approaching $18,000, while the National Center for Education Statistics reports school revenue grew 16% between 2010 and 2020, adjusted for inflation.
The stakes: Parents paying into a system that costs more every year are watching their kids fall further behind. Oregon doubled per-pupil spending over two decades to $17,988 and now ranks at the bottom nationally in academic outcomes, while Florida spent $12,689 per student and posted stronger proficiency gains despite ranking 47th nationally in K-12 education funding.
The backstory: Education experts told The Center Square the problem isn't how much money goes in, it's where it goes. Ryan Walters, CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, said increased funding has flowed to administrative overhead rather than classrooms. Patrick Graff, a senior fellow with the American Federation for Children, pointed to chronic absenteeism, diluted graduation standards, and credit recovery programs that let students pass failed courses online as structural drivers of declining performance that more money won't fix.
Where it stands: Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne told The Center Square in an exclusive interview that more money can lift outcomes, but only with accountability attached, and that school choice creates competitive pressure that pushes all schools to improve.
3 States
Minnesota: Gov. Tim Walz appointed members this week to a council tasked with documenting the impact of two federal immigration enforcement sweeps that the governor's executive order described as the largest in Department of Homeland Security history. The council, chaired by former Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill, who presided over the Derek Chauvin murder trial, will issue a final report to the governor, legislative leaders, and Minnesota's congressional delegation by December 1, as the state attorney general's federal lawsuit and criminal charges against two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents remain ongoing.
Illinois: The Illinois legislature passed a bill that would let nearly 100,000 Uber and Lyft drivers unionize through sector-wide collective bargaining, making it one of only three states to extend that option to rideshare drivers. If the governor signs it, Illinois becomes a test case that could shape how other states respond to growing pressure to give rideshare drivers more leverage, though contract worker policy advocate Marc Avelar warns the bill could face federal legal challenges because federal labor law does not cover independent contractors.
California: Political consultants in California are collecting taxpayer dollars to run what they bill as public education campaigns for local tax measures, even though state law bars government agencies from advocating for ballot initiatives they stand to benefit from. An investigation by The Center Square found one firm, The Lew Edwards Group, openly markets a 95% win rate and strategic campaign services to hundreds of government clients, including school districts and cities.
2 Issues
Energy: Data centers are straining the electric grid, and states are pushing back. In Wisconsin, counties are approving moratoriums on new projects as the state projects forgoing $1.5 billion in sales tax on initial construction for four major data center deals, plus $369 million more annually once the projects are completed. In Pennsylvania, Democratic Sen. Katie Muth filed a three-year moratorium bill with bipartisan co-sponsors, and in North Carolina, the attorney general and governor are jointly asking the utilities commission to create a separate, higher rate class for large electricity users. U.S. electricity prices have risen 27% since 2019, according to the nonprofit Environmental and Energy Study Institute. In Virginia, a state with a high concentration of data centers, they've gone up 267% in five years.
Immigration: New Jersey sued the private operator of a Newark immigration detention facility this week after state health inspectors were blocked from viewing medical areas, bathrooms, and sleeping quarters during a May 28 inspection. A curfew remains in effect outside the facility after days of violent clashes between demonstrators and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Department of Homeland Security called the lawsuit "frivolous," while Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a company with a $1 billion government contract has no legitimate reason to block public health inspectors.
1 Number
$1.2 billion
Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber told a U.S. House Oversight task force on Wednesday that his office identified $1.1 billion in Medicaid payments that could not be verified because 15% to 16% of home healthcare services were not processed through congressionally mandated tracking systems. Federal lawmakers put the total fraudulent payments figure at $1.2 billion.
New York criminalizes 3D-printed firearms
New York became the latest state to restrict ghost guns, and the National Rifle Association says the law is unconstitutional and is already preparing legal action.
Katie Wilson, Mayor of Seattle
Wilson must submit an initial review of the King County Regional Homeless Authority's corrective action plan by June 15, after a forensic audit found the authority couldn't account for millions of dollars. By Aug. 1, she must decide whether Seattle keeps funding the agency, which draws 60% of its $200 million budget from the city, or moves to dissolve it. Wilson has said all options are on the table and has not signaled a direction.
Should federal homelessness funding require recipients to participate in treatment or recovery programs before receiving permanent housing?
Read more about the recent changes.
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