To the Editor:

As reported by Tim Forsberg and John Howell, House Education Chairman Robert M. McNamara is eager to spend lots of taxpayer money on what he euphemistically refers to as “government investment.” (“Lawmakers push for universal Pre-K in RI,” April 17).

Chairman McNamara is an advocate for universal pre-kindergarten. He can’t tell us how much this proposal will cost the taxpayers, but he is certain it “may” be worth it in the long run.

I call this legislating by wishful thinking. My understanding is that taxpayers currently spend more than $20,000 per year per K-12 pupil. And yet test scores show that only 30% of students in grades 3 through 8 are proficient in math and reading. Why hasn’t that lavish spending resulted in better scores? Mr. McNamara doesn’t say.

Mr. McNamara also claims this program “could reduce rates of incarceration” and “curb those costs” of imprisonment. But I’m skeptical.

For example, I don’t think any pre-kindergarten experience would have made Craig Price a model citizen instead of a serial killer. And keeping Price incarcerated is worth every penny spent.

I’m also suspicious about McNamara’s stipulation that “30% of funding would be set aside for development and administration of programs.” That sounds like a plan to add even more administrative positions to an already top-heavy public school bureaucracy.

McNamara’s plan may make sense to you, but it sure doesn’t make sense to me.

A. H. Liddle

Warwick