A report by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says Alabama's cuts to K-12 education are the nation's second worst since the recession began.
The Washington-based group says Alabama's investment in K-12 education has declined 20 percent since 2008, when adjusted for inflation. Only Oklahoma had deeper cuts. The study was based on 2008 because it was the last year before the recession curtailed state tax collections.
The study says the cuts in Alabama would have been worse if not for federal stimulus funds, but Alabama has not replaced that federal aid since it expired in 2011.
Alabama's 2008 education budget of $6.7 billion remains a state record. The new education budget that starts Oct. 1 is $5.8 billion. That budget covers kindergarten through college.