Do all forms of taxpayer funding for education have a net economic benefit? Not exactly. The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs looks at the state's CareerTech program, which according to the most recent report spent $467 million in taxpayer funds.

One way to calculate the effectiveness of such a program is to calculate its net costs and compare those to any increase of income that it supplies. But it's important to include the financial value of the alternative use of the tax money, something that is often not done.