Friday, December 3, 2010

N.C. Legislature Scrooged Over Education Cost



New Jersey’s Governor Christie is in an epic battle with one of the most powerful special interest groups in the United States: the teacher’s union. The cost of education has become the third rail of politics with every leftist organization rallying to the call of the Horn of Gondor when the national, state or local government questions the cost. It seems the village doesn’t have enough cash to raise children in the proper way socialist see fit.


North Carolina is no different. The Charlotte Observer published a cartoon portraying the incoming North Carolina General Assembly as Scrooge. Keep in mind that this is the first time the Republican Party has gained the majority in the legislature in both houses in over 100 years. I guess you can say this is a preemptive strike.



A study by Civitas displays the cost of education:



How Much Does North Carolina Spend to Produce one High School Diploma?


K-12 public education remains one of the most talked about policy issues in North Carolina. Public interest derives not only from the importance of the task, but also the level of public spending. In the 2010-11 state budget, 37 percent of state spending approximately $7.1 billion is devoted to K-12 public education. In 2008-09, state, federal and local expenditures for K-12 public education totaled $12.2 billion on a student population of 1.4 million. The economic challenges facing North Carolinians underscore the importance of understanding how much North Carolina is spending for education and how well our institutions are performing. One question that flows from this discussion is: How much does it cost to produce a high school graduate in North Carolina?1


Methodology


To answer this question, annual per student average expenditures were gathered for 13 years (1996-97 to 2008-09) grades K-12) for the 10 largest local education agencies (LEAs) in North Carolina.2 In 2008-09, the ten largest LEAs accounted for approximately 40 percent of all K-12 students enrolled in North Carolina public schools. Annual per student expenditure figure sum state, local and federal per pupil expenditures The figures are then adjusted for inflation. Annual totals are then divided by the LEAs 2008 graduation rate. Since the costs of a diploma should accurately reflect all educational costs, the costs of those who fail to graduate are included. According to Department of Public Instruction data, 70 percent of 9th grade students who enrolled as freshmen in 2005-06, graduated four years later in 2008-09.


Data for this study is from the Education Statistics Access System (ESAS), available on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction web site.



Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? Only for the taxpayers who are chained to the education boondoggle, and the socialist utopian dream.

Source:  http://www.jwpcivitasinstitute.org/media/publication-archive/policy-reports/how-much-does-north-carolina-spend-produce-one-high-school-

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