One of the biggest reasons I’ve read against homeschooling is that it is simply too expensive. And don’t get them started on private schools. It’s much better to send children to the public schools, where the education is free.
That line of thinking annoys me.
Government education is never free. The only difference is that they get their money from you in different ways. The two that come straight to mind? Taxes and gambling.
We all are used to the concept of sales tax, but do we actually know how it is being used? I’ve always figured it had some blend of healthcare, education, and fixing roads. After doing some digging, it turns out there is a lot more to it. I live in the St. Charles county of Missouri, and this is our tax rate: http://www.sccmo.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2388
It is difficult to read, but what is clear is that the vast majority of money from St. Charles taxes goes to the public schools. This is in addition to Missouri’s own sales tax, which takes a full percent of whatever you are buying and taxes you to give it to the schools. I am sure that there are other taxes I am not aware of that funnel into the education system, but note that this is standard fare in the U.S. If you’ve just bought a $1,000 TV, then Congratulations! You’ve just donated $10 to the public schools, and not necessarily with your knowledge or consent. I don’t want to give off the impression that we shouldn’t give to good causes. I just don’t like the idea of being forced to give to what I think is not a good cause. Whether you use the public schools or not, you still have to pay for them.
Secondly is gambling. Often known as a “tax on the stupid”, casinos and lotteries use education very well. Often it is the case that a town does not want a casino. Some casino company decides to try and convince that town otherwise. With the help of pastors and others, the town maintains a firm resolve. Then the casino reveals the ace up its sleeve. The casino promises to donate massive amounts of money to the schools. At this point the town is divided between people who “care about our children” and those who don’t. Eventually the casino wins. They act as though they get free money, when in fact the money that is donated to schools came from the down and out patrons who live in that very area, who lost their money to the allure of gambling. It is truly shameful that the education system gets its money in this way.
So how much does it actually cost for the government to send a child through the public school? It varies by state, and it varies by region within that state. Missouri, for example (as of 2012) spent an average of $9,514. (Source: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/01/29/how-states-are-spending-money-in-education) New York, by contrast, spends over double that!
Let that number soak into your head. 9,514. Nine Thousand, Five Hundred, and Fourteen. You might think, “Well, that’s not too bad for 12 years of education.” Wrong. This is $9,514 per student, per year. 12 years of that means that by the time your child graduates high school, it cost Missouri $114,168. Your children have a huge economic footprint by simply being in the public schools. And not only that, but people fight to spend more money on children, as though more money = better education. It simply doesn’t.
The decision to homeschool isn’t a decision to start paying for school instead of getting free education. The decision to homeschool is a decision to offload some of the burden from the economy and take it upon yourself. It is being responsible. It would be absolutely irresponsible of me to not pay my child’s medical bills, but rather expect others to pay it for me, even if they don’t want to (even if they have accepted that they have to pay it). My child’s educational bills are no different.
So what does homeschooling look like, financially? The HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) has found that the average homeschooling parent pays $900 per student, per year. However, they acknowledge that the majority of homeschoolers pay significantly less than that (those who pay more are the type to buy special satellite classes and other expensive things). It is probably more likely to say that parents spend about $200 per student, per year. But for the sake of bigger and more verifiable numbers, we’ll use $900. After 12 years, the parent will have spent $10,800. This is only $1,300 more than what it would cost to public school that same child for first grade! To homeschool a child is to spend over $100,000 less, on education that we have already seen is higher in quantity, and is centered in the reality of God’s universe, and not in the fictional story public schools like to weave. Public schools simply cost too much money for the economy. We, as parents, need to take on the load (and share it with those who are willing), not force it on the unwilling and unsuspecting.
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