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Education budgets are substantial, and schools have been spending COVID relief funds liberally, so why are they always begging for more cash? It turns out they have more than enough money; the real issue is that they don't spend it wisely.
Mandy Drogin from the Texas Public Policy Foundation told KTRH that schools receive around $92.4 billion from various state, local, and federal sources. This equates to $16,792 per student. Drogin argues that schools don't need more money.
Drogin emphasizes that the key to solving this problem is passing legislation that requires school districts to be more transparent about their funding sources, the purpose of the funds, and their expenditures. She says, "Once we have that, it's gonna expose a lot of nefarious actors, who are on the take, using taxpayer dollars at the expense of our children."
Additionally, Drogin advocates for policies like school choice, which would require schools to compete for tax money by attaching it to the student. This approach would incentivize schools to spend money more effectively and strive for higher educational quality.