# Why is education always the first thing cut in government budget? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 18, 2016, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439 "2016-02-18T13:41:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![OffByOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/45deac/32.png) [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/21 "2016-02-18T19:00:07Z")
Don’t most (all?) municipalities have School Taxes? You, know, taxes expressly for the purpose of publicly educating our children? Now, I know that most (all?) states also provide monies to local communities to support public education, but at the municipal level, if someone is cutting spending on education, what are they planning on doing with the money that was collected for the schools? Wouldn’t that be misappropriation of funds, since the funds were collected for the express purpose of supporting local education? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/22 "2016-02-18T20:07:45Z")
Because America has always needed semi-skilled drones to fill millions of jobs and hardly anyone in power gives a damn about have a really well educated citizenry. Well educated citizens are troublemakers. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/23 "2016-02-18T20:14:18Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > One reason school budgets get cut is that when push comes to shove, students and parents will participate in fundraisers, and there are private grants schools can get. More to the point, middle-class and affluent parents–politically relevant people–will find alternate revenue sources. Fund-raising is a lot more problematic when your school is 95% free-or-reduced lunch, 75% non-native speaker, and has a highly transitory population. It’s not just that no one has money to give, but the organizing and running is damn near impossible. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/24 "2016-02-18T20:16:56Z")
> [@bump](#): > > What teachers do you know that “only work until 3!!” That’s a vile and pernicious myth that really needs to be killed. I was, of course, speaking in the voice of the sector of voters who see teaching as a cushy job. My father was a teacher, and I was out of school long before he was. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/25 "2016-02-18T21:02:09Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > Well, it’s been years since I’ve seen a highschool football game, but last I went, there was no admission fee, so I’m not entirely sure where the revenue is coming from. Universities make money on their sports programs, I understand, but I’m not so sure about high schools. Snack bar? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/26 "2016-02-18T21:54:03Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Why are schools always the first thing cut? Children cannot vote. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/27 "2016-02-18T22:15:54Z")
Politicians also like to lie. Politician Group A: We want to \*\*increase \*\*spending by 3%. Politician Group B: No that’s too high. Only **increase** it by1.8%. PGA: (To the media) PGB wants to **cut** spending on education. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/28 "2016-02-19T14:09:55Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Politicians also like to lie. > > Politician Group A: We want to \*\*increase \*\*spending by 3%. > > Politician Group B: No that’s too high. Only **increase** it by1.8%. > > PGA: (To the media) PGB wants to **cut** spending on education. That’s my impression in a lot of cases as well. “Cuts” mean “not increasing the schools budget as much as we want”. As a side gripe, a common tactic among school districts faced with failure of their tax-raising ballot issue is to cut back on things perceived as causing the most pain for parents/kids (making them pay for athletics, trimming teaching staff etc.). Scaling back plans for the new super-high school or letting administrators go don’t ever seem to be options. ---
**Author:** ![psikeyhackr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@psikeyhackr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psikeyhackr)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/29 "2016-02-19T14:31:14Z")
I asked a high school teacher what the difference was between AC and DC current was yesterday. She didn’t know. A few months ago she demonstrated not knowing a kilometer from a meter. But she recognized the name Nicola Tesla. She was going to see a line performance of Othello last night. Who decides what education is? Couldn’t a national recommended reading list do a better job than a lot of teachers? How much would that cost? psik ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439/30 "2016-02-19T14:37:25Z")
> [@CoastalMaineiac](#): > > I had to walk uphill, both ways, barefoot, on glare ice to go to school in a cardboard box. A cardboard box? Luxury! I had to crawl uphill on my hands and knees, all three ways, across a glacier to go to school in a hole in the snow made by a urinating dog…and grateful for it, I was, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-education-always-the-first-thing-cut-in-government-budget/746439.md?page=1)