According to the U.S. Department of Education, roughly $553 billion was collected in tax revenue to fund the public school system in 2007. I couldn’t find any 2008 numbers, but of course they’re bound to be even higher. Can you imagine the economic stimulus of dropping a half-trillion dollar market into the private sector? The frenzy of companies forming to compete for the best teachers, build the most attractive educational infrastructure, and market their services to discerning parents would be astonishing.

The tax savings to citizens would be significant. Of course, we would need to provide educational vouchers for lower-income citizens, so some educational taxes would still need to be collected… but the federal government current spends over $9000 per year, on average, to educate each student. It’s much higher than that in some areas, most notably Washington, D.C., which spends a whopping $25,000.00 per student. Does anyone doubt that competitive private schools can do better, especially when the economies of scale for handling seventy million customers kick in? Parochial schools already offer superior education at less than half the average cost of government schools.

A Glimmer for Gifted

Schools and the Stimulus
I have wondered if there’s anything in the stimulus bill that offers assistance for students with gifts and talents. Unlike Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, there is no federal mandate for gifted programs. Instead, the cost of gifted education is borne by the states.

Funding for gifted students summer program cut in 2010 state budget — baltimoresun.com

Senator Chuck Grassley has asked the U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, to revisit a departmental proposal that would direct designated funding for gifted and talented kids to other areas that are not part of the intended purpose of the Javits Act. The Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program is the only federal program dedicated to increasing educators’ knowledge about, and ability to meet the unique learning needs of gifted and talented students.

 

I hope more members of congress listen to their constituents and follow Sen. Grassley’s lead in supporting funding for Gifted and Talented students.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has a good article about Advanced Placement. AP classes aren’t exclusively for Gifted students, but AP classes help fill a gap between regular classroom and gifted programs. From the PI article:

The blame begins at the federal level, where the only initiative to specifically address the unique needs of these approximately 3 million students nationwide is the Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act. Since it was passed in 1988, the law has languished in the shadows, producing a congressional appropriation of a paltry $9.7 million for fiscal year 2006. Only half of the states offer additional dollars.

In sharp contrast, Congress allocated $23.7 billion for fiscal year 2006 to fund the No Child Left Behind Act to bring all students up to minimal proficiency. Moreover, when school districts need to pay for after-school tutoring or other remediation, they siphon money from programs for the gifted.

For years, AP classes were considered “untouchable” by school budget cuts. Now, for a variety of reasons, administrators are finding creative ways to cut AP classes from the curriculum. Conveniently, this provides more time to devote to NCLB. I just hope our administrators and legislators wake up and realize the system is broken before it’s too late.