Vancouver Public Schools is asking voters for money for physical facility work. But, in total, VPS is already getting more money from taxpayers than its performance justifies. VPS spending per pupil appears to be similar to the state average ($18,500), which is even higher than the U.S. average ($14,900). Unfortunately, the U.S. average is ridiculously high compared to other countries. I find only four that spend more per student than the U.S.: Luxembourg, Norway, Austria and Korea. For all these bucks, our students are not getting a good education. Data for 2022 ranks U.S. students 34th in math, 16th in science, and ninth in reading, worldwide. VPS students are certainly not exceptional. The 2023 data show only about 30 percent are at the basic standard in math, 41 percent are there in science and 43 percent in reading. So, before VPS deserves even the money it has been getting in the past, it must align its students’ educational performance with its costs. If this were a real-world business competing with entities offering similar products, VPS would reduce its nonprimary-mission activities and costs, and put more of its current resources into its core mission — education. And still afford to fix the leaky plumbing and roofs.