Every state has underfunded K-12 education over the past decade, and 25 states spent less on education in 2016 than prior to the Great Recession, according to a new report released by the American Federation of Teachers labor union. Iowa has had one of the stronger records on improved real-student spending since the recession, with spending rising by 5 percent. Iowa is also one of 13 states in which average teacher pay has risen. However, “the share of all education paid for by the state has fallen compared with where it was before the recession, and it is below what is necessary to keep up with the real costs of public services,” the report said of Iowa. The report, “A Decade of Neglect: Public Education Funding in the Aftermath of the Great Recession” concludes that many states’ budget austerity agendas explain why average teacher salaries in 38 states are lower than they were in 2009.