US Dept of Ed budget equal to more than $2100 per kid under 18

According to The US Dept of Ed's Budget Office website  they have a budget of roughly $160 billion ($63.7 billion plus $96.8 billion). According to the US Census Bureau there are about 75 million kids under 18 in the US. That means that the US Dept of Ed budget is equal to more than $2100 per kid under 18.

As the US Dept of Ed says themselves on their site "...it is important to point out that education in America is primarily a State and local responsibility." So instead of them taxing all that money away from people, and spending money on figuring out how to redistribute it from far off in Washington, and making local schools jump through hoops to get that money, why not either not tax people for it, or give it back as vouchers so people can afford to send their kids to good schools? Instead of sacrificing children in hopes of eventually fixing schools allow parents to right away find a school that meets their kids needs.

Taxing people on a Federal and State (and possibly local) level for schools and then only providing money to public schools makes for a system that favors the wealthy, who can afford to send their children to private schools or move if need be. Poorer people are forced to keep their kids in worse schools while their money is put toward improving schools in ways their kids probably won't be around to benefit from.

The current public school system benefits beareaucrats and union members at the expense of students and poor parents. It assumes people potentially thousands of miles away know what your kids need better than you. And with their redistribution of your tax money, they exert influence, too. They take your money and then graciously give it back with conditions.