Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 110, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1909 — The Cost of Schooling. [ARTICLE]

The Cost of Schooling.

That the state in 1908 spent $205 per capita for college or university education for its young men and women, while spending only $4.50 per capita for education in the common and high schools, has been disclosed. This is shown by figures which have been compiled for consideration of the presidents of the state and nonstate schools in the conference called by Gov. Marshall for Oct. 14 and 15. A comparison of the figures supports the declaration made in the recent session of the general assembly, when the fight for an increased tax levy for Indiana university school was on, that the state was spending a small per capita amount for common and high school education in comparison with the money paid for higher education. It was this contention that caused the governor to inquire into the comparative per capita expenditure with the result that he decided to call a conference to determine whether higher education in the state could not be maintained at less cost, in order tq allow greater expenditure for the common schools without increasing the tax levy. The three state schools in 1908 received a total of approximately sl,025,000 and the total number of students enrolled for the school year was approximately 5,d00. The approximate cost of maintaining the common and high schools was $2,500,000. With this sum 550,000 were cared for.