Separate but not equal.

• Position: STATEWIDE: Vital signs

In funding K-12 schools, wealthier counties have a distinct advantage, a recent study shows. Counties accounted for about 26% of total funding for instructional spending in 2014-15. Wealthier ones are able to spend more while keeping taxes low because they have more taxable resources--in particular, pricier real estate.

AVERAGE PER-STUDENT SPENDING:

10 HIGHEST COUNTIES: $3,026

10 LOWEST: $710

LOWEST...