Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-27
lP. P. ClaXton, United States Commits
sioner of Education)

| (P. P. ClaXton, United States Commits
| sioner of Education)
| Despite the low salaries of teachers
and the meager and inadequate equip
| ment of schools, mony people believe
the support of the public schools, ele-
| mentary, secondary and higher, to be
| our chief burden. This opinion seems
| to be very common about state legis-
| latures and other taX-levying bodies.
People otherwise well informed some-
| times fall into this error. Recently a
| prominent professor in one of our
| great universities expressed the opin-
| ion that the support of the state uni
iversities was about to bankrupt some
of the states. What are the facts? How
| do expenditures for the schools COM
| pare with other expenditures, public
and private? The truth is public edu-
| cation Is not a burden. Its cost is al
most negligible when compared with
| other expenditures.
| In 1918, the last year for which COM
plete reports have been compiled, we
spent in the United States for public
| education, elementary and secondary.
| sT62, ,259 ,154 for normal schools for the
training of teachers, s20,414 $50; for
| higher education in colleges, universi-
| ties, and professional and technical
| schools, whether supported by public
| taxation or privately endowed, $751;
o55,415. The grand total was 1919. .729.-
25S. In the fifty years from 1870 to
1920 we paid for public elementary and
high schools s12,457. 4s4.563; for normal
schools, 1891, Ill ,232: for higher educa-
tion in tax supported and privately
endowed colleges, universities and
technical schools. sl,s04 ,2oo,272, a total
Of sl4552, ,796,os7 for the fifty years.
For the years preceding 1870. two bill
lions OF dollars for public elementary
for normal schools. and $50 millions
for higher education would be very lib
eral estimates. Adding these to the
totals given above will make a grand
total of about s14,5oo, ,coo, eco, for public
elementary and secondard schools.
s2s5, 900. 900 for normal schools, and S1,-
$50. 100000 for higher education;-ap-
proSimately s16,645 900 600. for public
schools. elementary, secondary, normal
schools. and higher education in
schools OF all kinds from the beginning
of our history until 1920.
In all cases the figures include ex-
penditures for buildings and equip
ment, repairs, heating. lighting and
other !nc!dentals as well as expendi-
lures for teachers salaries.
The total amount paid In salaries to
teachers in public elementary and
secondary schools in 1918. was only
S40s,e?s.5l6. Salaries of teachers in
private elementary and secondary
schools, colleges, normal schools, uni
versities and technical schools
"ihouHNch ~ dPpi ssVs1fpss-t
making a total of S492,Ii5,240.
Making all due allowances for de-
fective returns, the total amount spent
for public education In 1918, including
current expenditures for private and
endowed colleges and universities. and
all expenditures for capital investment
in buildings and equipment. was less
than one billion of dollars. According
to government returns for 1920, the
people OF the United States spent for
luxuries in that year se2, 700. .oro coo:
more than % times as much rs they
spent for education only two years
before, and six billions, or so per cent,
more than we have spent for education
in all our history.
Expenditures for luxuries In 1920 in
cluded among other items:
For face poMder cnsrletics