Seems Thom Tillis and the GOP are upset about the Democratic ads claiming Republicans cut $500 million from education. They claim the ads are false and cite several fact checkers that have cast doubt about the numbers. Yesterday, John Hood of the John Locke Foundation took on the argument.

The problem with John’s point is that he compares spending from the last time Democrats were in control. He should start it from the last budget before the Great Recession. Democrats spent less on education in 2009-10 and they paid a heavy price in November 2010. Remember?

Democrats reach the $500 million number by comparing funding levels. They argue that if spending had been consistent, taking into account inflation and population growth, the GOP should have allocated $500 million more to public schools. If it had been up to me, I wouldn’t have used the number; not because it’s wrong, but because it’s muddled. It gives the Republicans a talking point that they shouldn’t have.

The Republicans can dispute the $500 million, but they can’t dispute less money is going into classrooms. Under GOP control, per pupil spending has dropped to 48th in the nation. Our teachers were among the lowest paid in the country and states like Texas set up job fairs to lure them away with better pay and working conditions. As Philip Price, chief financial officer for the Department of Public Instruction said, “If you back out the funding added for benefit cost increases and salary adjustments, the funding available for classroom activities – textbooks, transportation, teacher assistants, teachers, etc. – has been reduced by over $1 billion.” That’s billion–with a b.