Dear Editor,
The Jasper School District received $4,200 dollars per student from the Federal Department of Education last year. This is about a quarter of each dollar spent on our students, some extra help for a rural school. This money comes from the federal agency that our president, and Elon Musk, a South African immigrant, want to wipe out of existence. These are said to be cost cutting measures, but only three cents of every tax dollar is spent on all, all federal employees. The Department of Education has one of the smallest number of employees, about 4,000 people. These people mostly keep track of the money given to schools like Jasper, to be sure the money gets to Jasper and not lost in the state budget down in Little Rock. They also keep track to see if money spent on students actually helps them in school. Mr. Musk knows nothing about Jasper, nothing about our schools and nothing about our students
Bruce Westerman and Steve Womack, our representatives in the US House, know about our rural schools and have pledged to support us. Mr. Westerman and Mr. Womack along with French Hill and Rick Crawford have the duty to oversee how the federal government spends money because they are our elected representatives in the US Congress. They have the "power of the purse". They also made the laws that created the Federal Department of Education. They are the people that should be deciding how tax dollars are spent. They should be deciding if Jasper Schools need the Federal Department of Education. They are the people that should be concerned about the money that comes to Jasper schools to help our students.
Jeanmarie Mako
7286 NC 9560
