government spending is a major driver for economy, but it does not have to be spent on weapons. Creating programs for the betterment of society could lead to great discoveries as well, but the military/industrial complex we have only wants to grant funding to research if we can weaponize it. Creating top of the line schools with large government support can produce more highly educated individuals with more potential to further technology and science. I think you are not seeing the true value of schools and teachers. If you were to interview all the intellectual giants, I bet my left nut that they could tell you one specific teacher that sparked their interest in that field. How can you say that is not as valuable as a plane, or a bomb, or whatever. I marvel at the ingenuity it takes to build things like that and like any redblooded american, I think it's cool and all, but the schools provided the education to the people who design those things, and that's why schools and teachers are more valuable than a single aircraft, satellite, etc.

I hope I'm making sense. It's early and I'm not fully awake yet.

TL;DR we wouldn't have those things anyways were it not for schools, which makes the school more valuable than that program.