Tuesday, November 24, 2009

What Do Drop Outs Cost

Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris L. Nicastro knows these numbers from a recent presentation by Doug Reeves better than anyone.

Last year, there were 20,500 drop outs in the State of Missouri. This one class will cost Missouri $5.3 Billion in lost wages and productivity — $245.1M cost in medical care alone. Cutting the state’s male drop out rate by 5 percent will result in $147 million dollars a year in savings.

Please do not say that Missouri cannot afford to invest more in education.