The Real Costs to Pennsylvania of Cutting Public School Funding

[JPZenger]

http://www.pahouse.com/PolicyCommittee/documents/2013/hdpc052913.pdf

skip down to page 16 for an excellent piece by the Education Law Center.

http://www.elc-pa.org/Employment_and_Crime_Sections_06.11.pdf

Excerpt of report by Penn State professor:

"-High school dropouts are more than twice as likely to be unemployed and three times
more likely to receive welfare assistance, costing billions of dollars nationally each year
for government funded assistance programs.

-Decreasing the number of high school dropouts by half would nationally produce $45 billion per
year in net economic benefit to society.

- Improved education and more stable employment greatly increase tax revenue, such
as a return of at least 7 dollars for every dollar invested in pre-kindergarten education.

- 41% of all prisoners have not completed high school, compared to 18 percent of the general
adult population. The annual cost of incarcerating an individual is about $32,000, while the
annual cost of a quality public education is about $11,000.

- A 5% increase in the male graduate rate would save $5 billion in crime-related expenses."