Public school time is publicly funded — and there isn’t one national “price tag.”
Per-pupil spending and instructional hours vary widely by state. Using national averages only gives a range, not a single figure. If 100,000 students leave class for about an hour each week, the estimated range of publicly funded instructional time not delivered is $66–$82 million across a school year. (The 100,000 figure is LifeWise’s projection, not audited data.)
This isn’t a literal payment to anyone; it reflects the opportunity cost when kids leave class for programs like LifeWise Academy.
💰Public school time is something taxpayers already paid for. When it’s used for outside programs, families are footing the bill for class time that isn’t delivered.
Sources: EducationData.org (national per-pupil averages), Education Commission of the States (instructional hours), LifeWise (100k projection).
#PublicSchoolsNotPulpits #SeparationOfChurchAndState #seculareducationassociation
What people are saying:
- Secular Education Association: Secular Education Association
- Facebook User: In addition to the taxpayer dollars wasted when children leave the school, taxpayer funds for transporting students to public school end up utilized for the benefit of Lifewise. Lifewise doesn’t have to bear the cost of transporting individual kids to a central location. That’s already done on our dime, so that the only transportation cost Lifewise incurs is to take them as a group to the Lifewise location. Our taxpayer dollars to transport school children don’t flow directly to Lifewise, but they clearly end up helping Lifewise achieve its mission.
- Facebook User: Many in the Anthony Wayne community are very upset about this intrusion into the public school day, but there’s little that can be done to stem it, considering legislative action in Columbus, which allows students to be released for religious instruction. Every chance I get, as a member of the Anthony Wayne school board, well, at least until the end of the year, I condemn this intrusion. I honestly feel that most people in my community are unaware of the ramifications of this intrusion. 
- Facebook User: I am thinking many of us will stop voting to fund school levies if this continues.
- Facebook User: Facebook User that just punishes the students.
- Facebook User: Facebook User it punishes the students to have this chaos and intrusion into their school day. It punishes the students to have these legal predators hanging around soliciting using other kids. Somehow this has to be stopped. I’m not necessarily saying I wouldn’t support my schools but this is a very slippery slope and if I thought, in any way, that my school tax dollars were going to support religious training….especially this so called religious training I would have to give it serious thought.
- Facebook User: Facebook User totally agree. The ACLU or Freedom From Religion need to get involved.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User both organizations have been contacted in regards. Multiple times. We regularly meet with the FFRF, so they are updated almost constantly.
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