Illegal aliens and school spending

Public schools around the country are typically funded on a per-student basis. Georgia, for instance, spends about $8,000 per student.

The idea behind funding schools that way is that the more students a school has, the more money it needs to educate them. By the same logic, of course, the fewer students a school has, the less money it generally should need.

But that logic is being left by the wayside now that a new law against illegal immigration has taken effect in Georgia. The law apparently has prompted a number of illegal aliens - including some who have children in public schools in North Georgia - to leave the region. And that, in turn, has some people concerned that public schools in the area will lose part of their per-pupil funding because of falling enrollments.

We understand the concern about tight budgets for education. But if a departure of illegal aliens from North Georgia reduces public school enrollments, the schools should not need the same amount of money to educate significantly fewer students.

In fact, Steve Williams, the chairman of the Dalton Board of Education, pointed out a big potential benefit for taxpayers. At present, his district is having to consider some difficult, expensive measures to deal with crowding in its schools. With lower enrollment, the district might not have to pursue those measures, and "We also may not have to do much construction in the foreseeable future," Williams told the Times Free Press.

School construction costs can be enormous. If the departure of illegal aliens from a district makes building more schools unnecessary, that could save taxpayers a lot of money.

Georgia's new law against illegal immigration is right in principle, and it also makes economic sense.

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