"In our region of Trillura, the majority of money spent on the schools that most students attend—the city-run public schools—comes from taxes that each city government collects. The region's cities differ, however, in the budgetary priority they give to p

The conclusion reached by the writer of this letter appears cogent on the surface. A closer looks shows that the writer fails to consider other factors that might cause Parson City to spend more than Blue City on public education.

The underlying assumption of the above claim is that because Parson and Blue cities have the same number of residents, they should contribute equal amounts to regional education fund. This assumption is flawed because similarity in population does not translate into similar revenues. Parson city may earn more in revenues than Blue City thus affecting their levels of expenditure. If the writer shows that both cities have the same number of residents and have similar revenues, the argument might be validated.

Furthermore, the letter provides no time frame to show whether or not Parson City has always contributed more than Blue City or if it was a recent development. If Parson city has historically contributed more than Blue City, the writer’s argument is weakened. However, if this was a recent development, the writer needs give more cogent reasons to explain the reduction in allocation rather than assume that Parson City places more value on education than Blue City.

The writer also fails to consider that population of children may be a factor in determining education expenditure. If Parson City has more school-age children than Blue City then more contributions would come from Parson city. This weakens the writer’s arguments on the value placed on education by Blue city residents. Also, It is also possible that residents of Blue city prefer private education to public education. Hence, they see no need to fund public education services they would not benefit from.

In conclusion, the writer needs to carefully weigh the premises of the argument because other factors such as city revenues, historical allocation, number of school-age children and existence of private education may influence public education spending.