<p>Maybe one problem is that our fractured nation no longer agrees on what constitutes the “public good.” </p>
<p>In Virginia, the school my daughters attend/attended, W&M, receives just under 13 percent of its funding from the state. VA has cut its funding 5 times in less than 4 years. Yet in VA, the state recently required the school to accept an additional 50 students, and exerts pressure on admission standards for instate students and in other areas. At what point will the taxpayers be satisfied - 5 percent of a public school’s operating budget? Less? </p>
<p>As to who’s paying for all the worthwhile programs (not using the scare quotes because it seems clear to me that they are worthwhile) - well, it’s pretty much the students and their parents, though that 12 percent is a nice add-in. Taxpayers don’t like paying taxes - period. It doesn’t mean that every tax dollar that’s spent is wasted. Do we want truly high-quality public education? That’s expensive.</p>