The Dollars and Sense of School Choice

Every year, most Pennsylvania homeowners receive larger property tax bills due to increases in public school spending. In the nine school years from 1997 to 2006, school property taxes increased by 61%, or $3.6 billion—costing the average homeowner an additional $840 per year.

While public school spending routinely outpaces inflation and enrollment growth, several educational alternatives are delivering quality education for a fraction of the cost of traditional public school districts. Students in public charter schools, private schools, and home schools saved taxpayers more than $3 billion in the 2005-06 school year alone. The taxpayers of Pennsylvania could experience even more dramatic savings in school taxes if all parents were empowered to choose schools for their children outside the traditional public school system.