I’d like to thank Mr. James Simpson for quoting me in his Dec. 19 column “Who will answer my question?”
I do appreciate being referred to as a “leftist” (Definition: “Belief in or support of the tenets of the political left.”) and “collectivist” (Definition: “The principles or system of ownership and control of the means
of production and distribution by the people collectively, usually under the supervision of a government.”).
I’d also like to give Mr. Simpson a direct answer to his question: “In today’s dollars, exactly how much money (per child/per year) would be required to provide an adequate education?” Mr. Simpson does
not define “adequate,” which automatically puts any answer in the category of an opinion and subject to ridicule; a pretty typical ploy for conservatives.
However, I can quantify education spending in relationship to our defense spending on the basis of Thomas Jefferson’s opinion that “The best defense against tyranny is an educated population.”
Data360.org shows that in 2008 U.S. defense spending per capita (per person) was $1,960. Note that this is federal spending, not state or local.
Sourcebook.governing.com shows our national average per capita K-12 education spending in 2006 was $1,763.
However, the U.S. Census Bureau shows that only 9 percent of this money is federal, with 47 percent from state funds and 44 percent from local sources.
Therefore, the average per capita federal spending on K-12 education is only $159. As 91 percent of all education funding is provided by state and local sources, the actual amount per state varies, with
Virginia spending $1,742 per capita.
My answer to Mr. Simpson: In consideration of Thomas Jefferson’s views on education, we should be spending at least as much on education as on defense.
Therefore, our federal per capita spending on K-12 education should currently be $1,960. With current levels of funding from state and local sources, Virginia’s total per capita education spending should
be $3,545.
RON CHAREST
Dale City
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement