A new study prepared for The Social Contract Press entitled “The Burden of Plyler v. Doe,” by economic journalist Edwin S. Rubenstein highlights the financial burden imposed on public education by the U.S. Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe (1982). In that landmark case, the justices on the Supreme Court “struck down a Texas statute denying funding for education” of children illegally in the United States.
Of course, all other 49 states were bound by this decision. Because funding for education is the largest expense incurred by local and state governments on behalf of illegal immigrants (far more than healthcare, welfare, etc.), Rubenstein sought to calculate the burden.
And what a burden it is!
Using data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and gleaning material from other studies, the author estimates the cost of educating the children of illegal aliens in this country to be as high as $137 billion annually. This figure includes basic instruction, English-as-a-second-language programs (which, he points out, are a boondoggle), and capital expenditures (e.g. construction costs)...
