10-16-2016, 05:57 PM
Today's local paper had this interesting article on private school enrollment on the Big Island:
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/loc...te-schools
What really caught my eye was the comparative per head cost of private vs. publis schools in Hawaii. Snipped from the article:
"The average yearly price tag to attend private schools on Hawaii Island was $7,709 in 2015-16, a $42 increase from the year prior.
Statewide, private school tuition averaged $8,633 in 2015-16 — up from $7,535 the year prior. For comparison, per pupil spending among Hawaii public school students was $14,434."
Now looking at this in simplistic terms, we appear to be paying about 80% more for a poorly regarded public school system than it costs to privately educate students. Of course, the fact that the private schools generally produce better results has a lot to do with cherry picking the best students and not doing much in the way of special ed. Still, this has to make one wonder if we couldn't be spending our education tax dollars in better ways that the current public school system.
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/loc...te-schools
What really caught my eye was the comparative per head cost of private vs. publis schools in Hawaii. Snipped from the article:
"The average yearly price tag to attend private schools on Hawaii Island was $7,709 in 2015-16, a $42 increase from the year prior.
Statewide, private school tuition averaged $8,633 in 2015-16 — up from $7,535 the year prior. For comparison, per pupil spending among Hawaii public school students was $14,434."
Now looking at this in simplistic terms, we appear to be paying about 80% more for a poorly regarded public school system than it costs to privately educate students. Of course, the fact that the private schools generally produce better results has a lot to do with cherry picking the best students and not doing much in the way of special ed. Still, this has to make one wonder if we couldn't be spending our education tax dollars in better ways that the current public school system.