In the March 19 Sun Journal, I saw that it takes about $33 million to teach about 3,000 students in Auburn. In Lisbon, it takes $14 million to teach about 1,400 students.

Tax money collected by federal, state and local taxes combine to make up the $14 million annual school budget – a lot of money. There must be a lot of overhead costs.

I hear every year from the local government that it costs about $3,000-$4,000 of local tax dollars per student per year to teach the children. Doing the simple math, in Lisbon, with a $14 million annual budget divided by 1,400 students, it costs a total of $10,000 per student per year.

I hear people say that teachers are underpaid, but I can’t believe the teachers’ salaries and operational costs of running three schools in Lisbon are making that big a dent in the $14 million annual budget.

The concept would be the same in any school system.

I urge the Sun Journal to send a reporter to any school system’s budget office to investigate and publish a story about the costs, and why it takes so much money to teach the children of our communities.

Money from the state and federal governments alone should cover the costs.

George P. Caron, Lisbon