I want to thank Andrew Yates of the Koch funded “think tank” yes, every kid. for his recent My Turn. Prior to reading his opinion piece, I thought that the EFA program was just a way to remove $43 million from the public school system and give it, with no accountability, to parents who’s kids were already home schooled, or going to private schools. The EFA program is all that, plus so much more. As explained by Yates, the program is saving NH taxpayers millions of dollars. How you ask? Simple math. The EFA program gives the $4,700 state expenditure, not to the “wasteful” public schools, but directly to the parents of the students. (Now comes the financial miracle.)

Since the average district spends almost four times this for each student, Yates claims the “savings” are about $15,000 per student. Yates does not explain in his piece how the fixed costs of running a school are reduced to any appreciable degree to save all those millions since the buildings still have to be staffed, heated, cleaned, maintained, etc. But I am sure the explanation will be forthcoming

Eric Weiner

Concord