OPINION

‘Sequestration’ Education Cuts Would Equal .00045% of School Spending

Kyle Olson
Kyle Olson  |  Aug 30, 2012
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
The politicians are once again in a panic over looming automatic budget cuts – known as sequestration – despite the fact the plan was set in motion many months ago.

Naturally, those in the educational establishment are running around as though their hair is on fire.

"Essentially we're just playing chicken with the lives of the American people," Education Secretary Arne Duncan told a Senate committee.

“Savage cuts” were the words used in the headline of one op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They would “cripple our schools,” it contends.

“The cuts would decimate education programs,” Antonio Flores, president of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, told DiverseEducation.com.

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But just how much money are we talking about? According to the Huffington Post, $2.7 billion – over ten years! My government school math skills tell me that equals an average $270 million per year.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2007-2008, U.S. schools spent a combined $596.6 billion to educate students.

In other words, a meager .00045% would be cut from education spending!

Is the crisis rhetoric really warranted? Because according to reality, the cuts amount to a pimple on the face of a teenager.