June 16, 2008 11:52AM 

# WSJ Inadvertently Flaks for DC Schools 

By [Andrew J. Coulson](https://www.cato.org/people/andrew-coulson) 

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A [*WSJ* editorial ](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121314461809762739.html?mod=Letters)recently observed that “the $7,500 \[DC school\] voucher is a bargain for taxpayers because it costs the public schools about 50% more, or $13,000 a year, to educate a child.…”

Um, no. As I [reported ](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/04/AR2008040402921.html)back in April, it is costing taxpayers [$24,600 to warehouse a child in DC public schools this year](https://www.cato.org/2008/04/07/the-real-cost-of-public-schools/). The *WSJ*’s reference to $13,000 is a fantasy no doubt attributable to the use of dated Census Bureau figures that exclude capital expenditures, and that capture neither the spending increases nor the rapid enrollment losses of the past few years (let alone inflation).

If an economically savvy paper like the *Journal* can fall into this trap.… Oy!

##### Related Tags 

[Education](https://www.cato.org/education), [General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Center for Educational Freedom](https://www.cato.org/center-educational-freedom) 

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