Every time the subject of school funding comes up, somebody asks the same question
“I don’t have kids. Why should I pay for schools?”
At first glance, it sounds reasonable.
Why should you pay for a service you’re not personally using?
But that’s actually the wrong question.
The better question is:
What kind of society do you want to live in?
Because today’s students become tomorrow’s adults.
The kid sitting in a public school classroom today may eventually become your nurse.
Your electrician.
Your accountant.
Your mechanic.
Your pharmacist.
Your physical therapist.
Your neighbor.
The person reading your MRI.
The person filling your prescription.
The person repairing the brakes on your car.
The person responding when you call 911.
Whether you have children or not, you depend on educated people every single day.
That’s the point.
Public education isn’t a private benefit.
It’s public infrastructure.
Nobody asks:
“I don’t drive on every road. Why should I help pay for roads?”
Nobody says:
“I’ve never called the fire department. Why should I help pay for firefighters?”
Most people understand that some services exist because they make society function.
Public education belongs in that category.
In fact, you could argue it’s one of the most important investments we make.
Because every other system depends on it.
Healthcare depends on educated workers.
Businesses depend on educated workers.
Government depends on educated workers.
Technology depends on educated workers.
The economy depends on educated workers.
And here’s the part many people miss:
Maybe somebody without children helped pay for your education.
Maybe they paid school taxes for decades.
Maybe they never stepped foot inside a classroom as a parent.
But they understood something important:
An educated population benefits everyone.
The reality is that most of us use public services that don’t directly benefit us every day.
People without children help fund schools.
Young people help fund Medicare.
People who don’t drive help fund roads.
People who never call 911 help fund emergency services.
That’s how communities work.
We all contribute to systems that make life better, safer, and more functional for everyone.
The alternative is a society where every person only pays for what immediately benefits them.
And that’s not really a society at all.
It’s a collection of individuals hoping someone else solves the problem.
Scarlett says no.
