Some education advocates and taxpayers often are quick to argue too much money is spent on prisons while not enough is spent on schools. But the comparison is not exactly a sound argument, according to some state officials.

According to the Ohio Office of Budget and Management, the State of Ohio General Revenue Fund and profits from the lottery system allocated $5,174,682,383 to education, and the General Revenue Fund allocated $999,335,275 to the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction for the 1997 fiscal year. These numbers are for operating expenses, not construction and renovation.

However, while the state budget allocates more money to schools than prisons, the average yearly expenditure for each prisoner is higher than the average yearly expenditure per student in Ohio.

According to statistics from the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, the state spends $17,200 per prisoner each year in comparison to the $5,700 spent per student each year, said Pat Whitten, immediate past president of the Ohio PTA.

Bob Whitman, education consultant for the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding, said the groups' concern about school funding is two-fold.

"Education needs to be a higher priority and we feel there needs to be some reforms," Whitman said.

Whitten said she has visited schools where the buildings are literally falling apart and the students are using textbooks from the 1970s and maps from the 1960s.

"Prisoners are living in palaces compared to the condition of the schools," she said.

This shows students that in Ohio, education is not valued, she said.

"We have to show children that education is a priority so they try and improve themselves," Whitten said.

Mike Williford, a parent and PTA member at Morrison Elementary School in Athens, said while both schools and prisons are important issues, without enough money for schools, society might end up with more prisons in the future.

However, Paolo DeMaria, director of the state Office of Budget and Management, said comparing schools and prisons is like comparing apples and oranges.

"There's a difference in what's trying to be accomplished," he said.

Prisoners are held 24 hours a day and must be provided housing, clothing, food, libraries and recreation, DeMaria said. Security issues such as prison guards also factor into expenses.

But, there is strong public support for both the prison and the education systems, he said.

Keith Chapman, a parent and co-president of the PTA at East Elementary School in Athens, said the two are simply parts of a budget, and should not be compared.

"They're both important issues that need funded, but you can't compare them," he said. "They are both separate parts of a budget."