The bad news? Today is one of those days when little Eddie is going to be a broken record. The good news? This will be brief and to the point.

Go back in your mind all the way to last March, a whole year ago. The National Education Association — the nation’s largest teachers union — released its annual statistical dump known as Rankings & Estimates. The big news? Colorado ranked 21st in per-pupil spending during the 2012-13 school year.

In recent months, this information has provided a great antidote to attempted spooks and various forms of number-fudging. With this year’s new release of Rankings & Estimates, guess where Colorado stands?

Well, I hate to break the sad and desperate news, but Colorado has plummeted in the national per-pupil spending rankings from 21st in 2012-13 to 22nd in 2013-14. If you count students who show up on October 1, we spend $10,723 per student in current expenditures (Table H-11, page 55). If you measure the average daily attendance of students who show up, the figure rises to $11,461 — but our ranking falls even lower, like a stone, to 25th (Table H-16, page 57).

So that’s it. Sound the alarms! Abandon ship! Head for the high ground! Call the FBI, the CIA, the IRS, somebody!!! DINOSAURS!!!!!!

Or not. Maybe go for a stroll, enjoy the sunny spring weather. Even better, get engaged in the world of education reform and raise the bar to help prepare students for a brighter future. Because when Colorado spends near the middle of the pack at more than $10,000 per student, we should be spending more time focused on excellence than excuses.