Let’s Spend a Billion Dollars Per Student!

The Save our Schools rally in Washington, D.C., last month drew thousands of people from across the nation to protest the the increasing use of test-based accountability and call for increased funding for traditional public schools. Even Matt Damon showed up.

Reason.tv captured this interview with a woman wearing an Ohio union t-shirt. (H/t to the Fordham Institute’s Flypaper blog and edspresso.) The interview (starting at about 3:20) went like this:

Q: How much more would you like to see going to students?
A: How much money do you think a child is worth? It’s unconditional. Children aren’t worth money.
Q: It costs…more than $10,000 dollars per student right now…
A: I’d pay a million dollars to raise my children. There’s no…set price that on a child’s life and learning…It’s not about money. It should really be about educating our children on how to survive in today’s world.
Q: But if you want the government to spend more, how much more per student do you think should go to education?
A: Billions.
Q: A billion dollars per student?
A: Sure, why not.

In 2007-2008, Ohio schools spent about $10,000 per student. (Per-pupil expenditures for all districts are here.)