Our education system keeps millions of people employed across public and private schools, colleges, and trade centers. But perhaps more important is the fact that everyone who eventually becomes employable goes through the education system. These are two of the main reasons why I think education spending is a reasonable option for long term job creation.
I recognize there are plenty of people who question the financial structure behind some of our schools. I live in Ohio, which is a education tax levy state. The bulk of K-12 school funding comes through local property taxes. The state does provide base funding per pupil, but every school district counts on property tax money to fund their programs and payroll. The rate at which properties are taxed is decided through tax levies voted on by the public.
The issue with school levies is of course the fact that not everyone votes for them. You can read countless stories of school districts cutting staff and programs due to failed tax levies. While the opposition’s rally cry is “no more taxes”, I wonder how much their local economies actually lose over what usually boils down to a couple bucks a day per property owner.
When schools cuts teachers, they also cut student services both directly and indirectly. The things you hear about include bus service, sports programs, and classroom equipment. What the average person doesn’t see is the over-crowded classrooms, a lack of individual instruction opportunities, and the complacency of school life without extracurricular activities. The students are the first to feel the affects of a failed levy, but they are not the only group who suffers.
With hundreds of thousands of teachers being laid off in the last year it is safe to say that education cuts are contributing to our dwindling economy. The impact of each lost position is felt everywhere from your local grocery store up to the trading volume of the stock market. Whenever you take that much money out of circulation there is going to be problems. And when you combine it with the jobs cuts occurring in other industries it doesn’t take an economist to see how bad the situation is becoming.
So think twice the next time you are inclined to vote against public education. Try to visualize who you are trying to send a message to you by voting for “no new taxes”. More than likely the people who will actually be affected by your vote are the same people we need to keep America strong.
