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> The $100,000 Question
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The $100,000 Que stion
How DC’s Education Quagmire Affects the DC Economy
by Christian Robey
How much should it cost to teach a child how to read? If you’re asking that question in the nation’s capital, the answer is over $100,000, and even that might not be high enough. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 52 percent of D.C. 8th graders scored “below basic” in reading on the 2007 exam. “Below basic” means the student cannot read a short passage of text and understand its meaning.
The Department of Education reports that D.C. spends approximately $14,800 each year for every child enrolled in public school—higher than every other state except for New Jersey. And this figure may be a gross under-estimate. According to one source, when you consider the District’s entire school budget (including capital costs) in relation to the 50,000 students enrolled in D.C. schools, the per-student expenditure is closer to $24,000.
Even a conservative estimate shows that taxpayers spend more than $100,000 on every child who enrolls in D.C. schools from 1st grade to 8th, and yet less than half of those students will know how to read after that investment. Conversations about school reform in Washington, D.C. rightly focus on students and their families. After all, they are most affected by the poor quality of public education in the District. But we shouldn’t forget about taxpayers and how they are affected by the public
school system.
The non-partisan Tax Foundation reports that only four states have a higher state/local tax burden than Washington, D.C, where residents pay 12.5 percent of their income on city taxes. Public education costs are a big share of the city’s budget: D.C.’s huge education budget is paid for by the steep income, property tax, and sales taxes paid by D.C. residents to the city government each year.
These high taxes affect the District’s business climate. The Tax Foundation reports
that only five states offer a worse climate for business. With neighboring Maryland and Virginia offering lower tax rates, many companies that otherwise might locate in the city go elsewhere. The result: lower tax revenues and fewer jobs for the District.
The poor performance of D.C. expensive public school system also hurts our quality of life in other ways that are impossible to quantify. A recent report published by the nonprofit organization, America’s Promise Alliance, found that only 58 percent of District students graduate high school—far below the national average. Research shows that high school dropouts are more likely to be dependent on government service, unemployed, and incarcerated. The poor performance of istrict schools results in more dangerous neighborhoods and fewer adults who can make positive contributions to our community.
Just imagine how different the nation’s capital could be if its school system was a tremendous success rather than a persistent, abject failure. How many more families would choose to live in our neighborhoods instead of fleeing to the suburbs to find safety, lower taxes, and better schools? Almost all aspects of city life would benefit from having a quality education system.
The time has come for taxpayers and all District residents to demand more from our public school system. Decades of ballooning school budgets have shown that more money isn’t the answer.
Experience also shows that some schools can deliver success in the District. Just look at the KIPP KEY Academy, a public charter school in Southeast. Each year KIPP Key Academy has some of the best test scores in the District. They have achieved this success despite having a disproportionate share of low-income students. What makes KIPP Academy work? As a charter school they have the autonomy to decide how best to teach and the incentive to succeed or risk watching their students transfer to better performing schools.
D.C. needs more schools like KIPP. The District needs a wide variety of choices so that parents can find educational environments that meet their children’s unique needs. The District has made important strides toward giving families the chance to choose the best schools for their children. Today, there are more than 80 public charter schools in the D.C. Moreover, 1,900 disadvantaged children are attending private schools using school vouchers, thanks to the federally funded D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program.
Yet thousands more families who want more options don’t get them. D.C. policymakers need to put more power in the hands of parents so that they can ensure that D.C. taxpayers get their money’s worth from that $100,000 per-child investment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DC Progress’s vision is the transformation of DC into one of the most commercially
vibrant cities in the United States. We will do this by providing independent, nonpartisan, and objective policy proposals on ways to improve DC’s business environment.
How DC’s Education Quagmire Affects the DC Economy
by Christian Robey
How much should it cost to teach a child how to read? If you’re asking that question in the nation’s capital, the answer is over $100,000, and even that might not be high enough. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 52 percent of D.C. 8th graders scored “below basic” in reading on the 2007 exam. “Below basic” means the student cannot read a short passage of text and understand its meaning.
The Department of Education reports that D.C. spends approximately $14,800 each year for every child enrolled in public school—higher than every other state except for New Jersey. And this figure may be a gross under-estimate. According to one source, when you consider the District’s entire school budget (including capital costs) in relation to the 50,000 students enrolled in D.C. schools, the per-student expenditure is closer to $24,000.
Even a conservative estimate shows that taxpayers spend more than $100,000 on every child who enrolls in D.C. schools from 1st grade to 8th, and yet less than half of those students will know how to read after that investment. Conversations about school reform in Washington, D.C. rightly focus on students and their families. After all, they are most affected by the poor quality of public education in the District. But we shouldn’t forget about taxpayers and how they are affected by the public
school system.
The non-partisan Tax Foundation reports that only four states have a higher state/local tax burden than Washington, D.C, where residents pay 12.5 percent of their income on city taxes. Public education costs are a big share of the city’s budget: D.C.’s huge education budget is paid for by the steep income, property tax, and sales taxes paid by D.C. residents to the city government each year.
These high taxes affect the District’s business climate. The Tax Foundation reports
that only five states offer a worse climate for business. With neighboring Maryland and Virginia offering lower tax rates, many companies that otherwise might locate in the city go elsewhere. The result: lower tax revenues and fewer jobs for the District.
The poor performance of D.C. expensive public school system also hurts our quality of life in other ways that are impossible to quantify. A recent report published by the nonprofit organization, America’s Promise Alliance, found that only 58 percent of District students graduate high school—far below the national average. Research shows that high school dropouts are more likely to be dependent on government service, unemployed, and incarcerated. The poor performance of istrict schools results in more dangerous neighborhoods and fewer adults who can make positive contributions to our community.
Just imagine how different the nation’s capital could be if its school system was a tremendous success rather than a persistent, abject failure. How many more families would choose to live in our neighborhoods instead of fleeing to the suburbs to find safety, lower taxes, and better schools? Almost all aspects of city life would benefit from having a quality education system.
The time has come for taxpayers and all District residents to demand more from our public school system. Decades of ballooning school budgets have shown that more money isn’t the answer.
Experience also shows that some schools can deliver success in the District. Just look at the KIPP KEY Academy, a public charter school in Southeast. Each year KIPP Key Academy has some of the best test scores in the District. They have achieved this success despite having a disproportionate share of low-income students. What makes KIPP Academy work? As a charter school they have the autonomy to decide how best to teach and the incentive to succeed or risk watching their students transfer to better performing schools.
D.C. needs more schools like KIPP. The District needs a wide variety of choices so that parents can find educational environments that meet their children’s unique needs. The District has made important strides toward giving families the chance to choose the best schools for their children. Today, there are more than 80 public charter schools in the D.C. Moreover, 1,900 disadvantaged children are attending private schools using school vouchers, thanks to the federally funded D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program.
Yet thousands more families who want more options don’t get them. D.C. policymakers need to put more power in the hands of parents so that they can ensure that D.C. taxpayers get their money’s worth from that $100,000 per-child investment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DC Progress’s vision is the transformation of DC into one of the most commercially
vibrant cities in the United States. We will do this by providing independent, nonpartisan, and objective policy proposals on ways to improve DC’s business environment.