When one gallon of gas equals another, but one child’s learning doesn’t equal the next, what does “cost per student” really mean?

What Does Fungible Mean?

When something is fungible, it means one unit can be substituted for another unit.

Think about buying milk at Market Basket or Hannaford. A gallon of whole milk is a gallon of whole milk. If Market Basket charges $3.49 and Hannaford charges $3.79, you know exactly what you’re getting at each store. The milk at one store will work just as well in your cereal as the milk from the other.

The same goes for gasoline. A gallon of regular gas at the Mobil station on Washington Street does the same job as a gallon from the CITGO on Broad Street. Sure, the companies claim their gas is special. But your car doesn’t know the difference. A gallon is a gallon. That’s fungibility.

When things are fungible, comparing prices makes perfect sense. You can shop around. You can choose the best deal. Competition works because you’re comparing apples to apples.

So What Do We Mean by Education?

This is where things get interesting. When we talk about education, what are we actually talking about?

One answer is this: Education means producing high school graduates who have the knowledge and skills they need. Graduates who can read a newspaper article and understand it. Who can balance a checkbook. Who know enough history to make knowledgeable choices as voters. Who understand basic science. Citizens who are able to participate fully in the life of Claremont and our democracy.

Another answer is different: Education means operating a government-funded institution that gives out diplomas. A system that certifies someone has spent enough time in classrooms and passed enough tests to be called “adequately educated.”

These two answers might sound similar, but they’re not the same thing at all.

Education Is Personal

Here’s what everyone already knows but doesn’t always say out loud: Every child is different.

Look at homeschoolers. Parents who homeschool aren’t trying to create identical products. They’re focused on their specific children. This child needs more help with reading. That child pulls ahead in math. Another child learns best by doing practical projects. Homeschooling families recognize that education isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Now look at our public schools. They recognize this too, even if they don’t always say so. That’s what IEP programs are all about. An Individualized Education Program exists because the school system itself admits that one size does not fit all. Some kids need extra time on tests. Some need different teaching techniques. Some need special support.

If education were fungible, like milk or gasoline, none of this would be necessary. Every student would be the same. Every classroom would produce identical results. But that’s not how human beings work.

The Problem with “Per-Pupil Spending”

Politicians and school administrators love to talk about “per-pupil spending.” Claremont spends X dollars per student. The state average is Y dollars per student. District A spends more than District B.

But here’s the question: If education isn’t fungible, if every child is different and every child’s education is unique, what does “per-pupil spending” actually mean?

When you buy fungible goods, the price tells you something useful. If one store charges more for the same gallon of milk, you know you’re overpaying. But education isn’t the same product from one child to the next.

One student might need $8,000 worth of basic instruction and thrive. Another might need $15,000 worth of specialized support to reach the same level. A third might need just $5,000 because they’re self-motivated and learn quickly. The dollar amount doesn’t tell you whether the education was good or bad. It doesn’t tell you if the money was well spent.

Averaging these numbers together and calling it “per-pupil spending” is like averaging the cost of all the different items in your grocery cart and calling it “per-item spending.” It hides more than it reveals.

The Monopoly Question

Now we come to the bigger issue. If education is not fungible, if it’s individual and personal, why do we treat it like it is?

Our current system is a centralized monopoly. Most families in Claremont send their children to the public schools because that’s the only real option. The system is funded by our tax dollars, whether we use it or not. And here’s the key point: The system faces almost no consequences for poor performance.

When Market Basket gives you bad milk, you stop shopping there. When a gas station consistently has problems, you go to a different station. Competition works because businesses that fail to serve customers lose money and eventually close. Businesses that serve customers well make money and grow.

But the Claremont school system doesn’t work that way. If the schools perform poorly, they don’t lose funding. In fact, they often ask for more money. Families can’t easily take their children elsewhere. Teachers and administrators keep their jobs. The system continues unchanged.

This might make sense if education were fungible. If every child’s education were identical, you might justify a one-size-fits-all system. Standardize everything. Measure everything. Compare everything. Run it like a factory.

But we’ve already established that education isn’t fungible. We know every child is different. We’ve built entire programs, IEPs, around that fact.

So here’s the uncomfortable question: What purpose is served by a centralized monopoly supplier that is immune to the consequences of its actions, when the service it provides is inherently individual and cannot be standardized?

What This Means for Claremont

These aren’t abstract questions. They affect real children in real families right here in Claremont.

When we debate school budgets, we argue about dollars per student. But those numbers assume education is fungible, that you can measure success by dividing the budget by the number of kids. We can’t have it both ways. We can’t say every child is unique and special while also treating education as a commodity you can measure by the pound.

When we talk about school choice, vouchers, or alternative education, we’re really asking whether the monopoly model serves us well. If education is individual and individual, maybe families should have more control over how and where their children learn.

The current system was built on industrial-age thinking. Standardization. Efficiency. Economies of scale. That works fine for making pencils or bottling milk. But is that really how we should think about teaching our children?

These are questions every Claremont voter should consider. Not because there are easy answers, but because our children’s futures depend on asking the right questions.

---

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Sullivan County Republican Committee, the New Hampshire Republican Party, or any affiliated organization. Content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal, financial, or professional advice. References to third-party individuals, organizations, products, or services are for convenience and do not constitute endorsement. While we strive for accuracy, we cannot guarantee that all information is complete or current. Any errors are unintentional.