This brief examines the relationship between the percentage of minority students and education spending across the school districts of the United States using data from the 1989-90 school year. The brief explores whether districts with a high minority enrollment have less to spend than low minority districts, and how this relationship changes when considered in terms of educational buying power rather than actual dollars. Educational buying power means actual dollars expressed in a way that reflects differences in the relative costs of providing educational services by accounting for cost of living differences and differences in the educational needs of students. Districts with the highest percentage of minority students spend the most on public education, but when spending is considered in terms of buying power, the districts with the highest percentage of minority students actually spent the least. If race is considered simultaneously with other variables related to district spending, race does not appear to be a factor in lower levels of buying power in high minority districts. These results illustrate some of the difficulties involved in attempting to measure the equity of educational expenditures. (Contains three figures and seven references.) (SLD)