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VOUCHERS: THE PARENT TRAP
TORCH, TEXAS EAGLE FORUM | MARCH 1999 | CATHY ADANS

Posted on 07/05/2002 6:49:32 AM PDT by capecodder

Vouchers: The Parent Trap

Texas Eagle Forum March 1999 Cathie Adams, President, Texas Eagle Forum

VOUCHERS: THE PARENT TRAP

Who will have the fundamental right of educating children: parents or politicians?

By Cathie Adams, president of Texas Eagle Forum

Virtually every candidate for political office claims that if we elect him, he will fix public education, and since 92% of our children attend public schools, such political promises appeal to almost everyone. Those political promises have led to a multitude of unproven education fads introduced in public school classrooms, but there is one idea that has yet to overcome political opposition: vouchers, a.k.a. school choice. There are two major sources of opposition for the idea: teachers' unions who are afraid of losing part of their funding and those who hold to free market ideals and oppose government regulations.

Voucher supporters claim they would create competition for the public schools and thereby improve them. But columnist Charlie Reese sums it up nicely: "Government schools cannot compete in any sense of the word. They are government schools, creatures of law and politics. Faculty, its pay, and the curricula are determined not by the schools, but by politicians, bureaucrats and, in some cases judges. To state that public schools can compete with private schools is like saying a bronze statue of a horse can compete with a live one."

In reality, public funding would destroy private education. Saralee Rhoades outlines why in The Freeman, a newsletter published by The Foundation for Economic Education:

Private schools will become dependent on this new source of money and in time unable to exist without it. Private schools electing to safeguard their freedoms, not taking advantage of "free" money, will not be able to compete. When the only schools left are government schools, is there any assurance that the quality of public schooling will not precipitously decline as it has before? The resultant government monopoly will preclude any form of competitive standards. Costs will skyrocket as offices are set up nationwide to monitor the expenditure of government funds, protect students from exploitation, and expand services as further needs arise. Eventually the aim will be the maintenance of the program, not the education of children. Compliance with government policy and maintenance of the status quo will assume greater and greater importance, as more workers become dependent on government-subsidized salaries. The bottom line is that government cannot fix the educational problem because government is the problem.

Some insist that voucher legislation can be written to protect private schools. Chester Finn, chief architect of the National Goals (presented in former President Bush's America 2000 plan and President Clinton's Goals 2000) and a voucher advocate refutes the claim. "Some to be sure, like to think they can have it both ways; i.e. can obtain aid without saddling themselves with unacceptable forms of regulation. But most acknowledge the general applicability of the old adage that he who pays the piper calls the tune, and are more or less resigned to amalgamating or choosing between assistance or autonomy."

Texas voucher supporters believe that if legislation denies federal funds, then private schools would be free from government strings. In 1995, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 1 and created the Texas Workforce Commission that have brought about systemic reforms required by federal education laws, Goals 2000 and School-to-Work. The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) is being restructured to come into compliance with the rewrite of Texas' essential elements into performance standards/outcomes called Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills-all an outgrowth of the federal programs. It is logical that if private and public schools are answerable to the same bureaucracies, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Texas Comptroller, then they will both be controlled by the federal government programs.

State regulation is guaranteed. Governor George W. Bush has said, "I believe we ought to try a pilot voucher program that is tied to our accountability system [the TAAS test]." Rather than public schools being forced to compete in an education market place with private schools, the private schools would be forced to conform to the same outcome-based standards and performance-based tests prescribed for every public school by both federal and state governments. Ronald Trowbridge, vice-president for external programs and communications at Hillsdale College in Michigan, wrote in The Wall Street Journal "If government vouchers are extended to private primary and secondary schools, truly private schools in five, 10, 15 or 20 years will become virtually extinct."

Courts have broadened government control over private schools that take government funds. The infamous Grove City College vs. Bell case decided that even though the GI bill funds went directly to a student rather than a school, it came under federal regulations. The all-male Virginia Military Institute was forced to admit women or forgo state funding. And Liberty University dropped their religious worship requirement in order to retain their state tuition assistance grants. George Roche, president of Hillsdale College writes, "What is especially galling about this (attitude of 'you take our money, we own you') is that federal money was forcibly extracted from us in the first place. When they 'give' some of it back, it comes not with strings attached, but chains." Hillsdale is the only college in the U.S. that refuses even the GI Bill because of its federal tentacles of control.

The bottom line is: Vouchers would cause the demise of private schools because they cannot compete with what some parents will perceive as "free" schools. And government regulation will force them to be like public schools.

Vouchers would grant the government the "right" to collect your money and redistribute it to the more needy or dictate where and how you spend it by granting you a voucher. Collecting taxes and redistributing them is socialism.

Vouchers will cause private school tuition to escalate as witnessed by the sharp increase in public college tuition after the GI Bill was passed in 1943. Fewer parents would be able to afford true private schools.

Vouchers would politicize private schools the same way as public schools. Dr. Gary North, president of The Institute for Christian Economics, describes how voters/parents have consented to a system that rewards educational bureaucrats rather than serving parents as consumers with legal authority over their children. The chief losers of the political scheme are the students.

Vouchers would methodically expunge religion from private school curricula. George Bernard Shaw of The Socialist Fabian Society of England frankly stated, "Nothing will more quickly destroy independent Christian schools than state aid; their freedom and independence will soon be compromised, and before long their faith."

The only voucher bill filed in the Texas legislature as I write this report is HB 709 by Rep. Mike Krusee (R-Round Rock). The bill would mandate that: parents notify the state for a scholarship; the voucher "entitlement" be paid to the school instead of to the parent; the private schools be accredited by a private organization recognized by the Commissioner of Education and report to him on the school's performance on the academic excellence indicators; the private school not refuse to enroll a child on the basis of religion or academic achievement; and that the private school must certify to the Texas Comptroller all admissions regulations.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Teel Bivins (R-Amarillo), also will sponsor legislation calling for a limited voucher program. He says private schools that participate must be accredited and must test their students with the TAAS. This would make the once "private" school economically, spiritually and educationally beholden to the state.

Government vouchers sound good at first, but when we measure whether they will bring more liberty or more government, they certainly grow government. And it is uncanny that conservatives would encourage government to reduce welfare and support a reduction in the size of government, but advocate school vouchers. By cycling taxpayers' money through government hands, then back to parents, the voucher program would create a new category of people who will become dependent upon government largess. We cannot mouth limited government while our actions promote limitless government.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: education; educationnews; vouchers
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To: summer
The ski = The sky
121 posted on 07/05/2002 12:34:26 PM PDT by summer
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To: summer
may have had made = may have made...
122 posted on 07/05/2002 12:35:08 PM PDT by summer
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To: Starwind; FreeTally
Hi, See my posts #120 - #122.
123 posted on 07/05/2002 12:39:36 PM PDT by summer
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To: summer
The student's parent or guardian must ensure that the student takes all required statewide assessments. The student may take the required tests at a location and time provided by the school district.

According to the above from my post #69, the state gives the assessments; the parents are required to bring the children as directed.

Are you sure the FLA voucher children are not being assessed?

124 posted on 07/05/2002 12:41:58 PM PDT by capecodder
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To: summer
more, new private schools - - small, religious ones -- are opening and accepting vouchers. This is a trend I expect will continue.)

Why is this? Is not the 1 public voucher = full private tuition, along with the other requirements an impediment?

Have you seen in FL, any improvment in teacher attitude/skills and public school administration?

125 posted on 07/05/2002 12:43:02 PM PDT by Starwind
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To: capecodder
Yes, I am certain the FL voucher students are not now being assessed by the state. The teachers union has tried to make an issue of this, but, this "issue" does not resonate with parents at all.
126 posted on 07/05/2002 12:52:28 PM PDT by summer
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To: capecodder
In fact, as I was discussing with another poster on another thread the other day, if you get right down to it, FL students who are homeschooled have to meet more state requirements that any student in a FL private school.
127 posted on 07/05/2002 12:53:19 PM PDT by summer
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To: Starwind
Starwind, I would like to answer your questions, but could you rephrase them? I am not sure what you mean here.
128 posted on 07/05/2002 12:54:12 PM PDT by summer
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To: capecodder
Read more about the non-public (private) schools in FL below, from the state's Dept of Ed web site -- you will be surprised: CLICK HERE.
129 posted on 07/05/2002 12:57:13 PM PDT by summer
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To: concerned about politics
I agree with everything you said there. We do pay the taxes and are therefore forced to pay for the public schools and we shouldn't. But vouchers is just running a different dead-horse- they still take it and then give it back (at its reduced value after paying government overhead). Ideally they wouldn't take it at all. However education is just one example of them doing that- and although changing that is a related battle, it is a different battle.

I wish more would wake up and demand change but too many people like the free babysitting service- and they don't mind forcing us to pay for it. It certainly isn't right but I fear we have gone to far down this path and changing it is near impossible.

130 posted on 07/05/2002 12:58:45 PM PDT by kancel
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To: capecodder; Starwind; FreeTally; LarryLied
From the link in my post #129:

General Requirements for Non-Public Schools [in FL]

Legislative intent not to regulate, control, approve or accredit non-public educational institutions, churches, their ministries, religious instruction, freedoms or rites, is explicit. The Department of Education does not have jurisdiction and there are very few references to private schools in Florida law. The owners of private elementary and secondary schools in Florida are solely responsible for all aspects of their educational programs....

131 posted on 07/05/2002 12:59:13 PM PDT by summer
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To: summer
I'm surprised that new, religious private schools are opening and accepting vouchers. I would have thought the requirement that a voucher 'cover' an entire year of private tuition (which is presumably much more costly than the public system spends) would tend to drive a private school bankrupt.

Then there are the additional intrusions which you verified.

So why are new small religious private schools accepting and operating under these constraints?

Second question was have the voucher programs induced (by competition I would assume) many or any improvements in the public school system?
132 posted on 07/05/2002 1:02:16 PM PDT by Starwind
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To: summer
Thanks for the information and for sharing your opinion.
133 posted on 07/05/2002 1:02:26 PM PDT by FreeTally
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To: FreeTally
My pleasure. There is a lot of MISinformation out there about FL, and that's too bad -- because Gov. Bush implemented vouchers the BEST way. People could learn a lot by following his successful lead....
134 posted on 07/05/2002 1:04:38 PM PDT by summer
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To: Starwind
I would have thought the requirement that a voucher 'cover' an entire year of private tuition (which is presumably much more costly than the public system spends)...

No, it is actually less costly than a public school. (Except in circumstances like special education, where it is about the same or may be more costly.) I will try to find the article about the new private schools opening and link it here on this thread, so you can read it.
135 posted on 07/05/2002 1:06:34 PM PDT by summer
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To: Starwind
Then there are the additional intrusions which you verified.

I'm not sure what you mean here, but what I said in my link above is that there are NO intrusions by the State of FL.
136 posted on 07/05/2002 1:07:40 PM PDT by summer
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To: Starwind
So why are new small religious private schools accepting and operating under these constraints?

They are not operating under any "constraints" in FL. FL has the most freedom loving laws imaginable with respect to private schools -- because there are so FEW laws pertaining to private schools. Again, see my link above. There are only three requirements for a private school.
137 posted on 07/05/2002 1:09:06 PM PDT by summer
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To: summer
are NO intrusions by the State of FL.

That seems reasonable to me.

Could you please comment on what capecodder posted here?

138 posted on 07/05/2002 1:12:19 PM PDT by Starwind
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To: Starwind
Second question was have the voucher programs induced (by competition I would assume) many or any improvements in the public school system?

Yes, absolutely. And, the schools showing the GREATEST gains were previously: the WORST performing schools. Gov. Bush should be winning national awards for his leadership in education, because the changes are significant, and include the exact type of school that is not supposed to be able to improve -- schools where there are high poverty levels, migrant children, nono-English speaking children, etc. Yet, these are the schools making the biggest gains in FL.

Several people have tried to figure out why this is happening -- is it the fear of losing the students to the private sector? The embarassment of a public school recivin an "F" and the schools wants to avoid that public label? IMO, it is a mixture of both, but it also has to do with a lot of other things Gov. Bush has done, such as: eliminate, by law, and with financial penalties, "social promotion." So, either, the schools start succeeding, or, they will be retaining students they would have previously just passed along to the next grade. There are many more changed Gov. Bush implemented -- his plan was a complex one involving many pieces, not just "vouchers."
139 posted on 07/05/2002 1:13:07 PM PDT by summer
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To: Starwind
re post #138 - Yes, I have that before elsewhere.

I have a couple of thoughts on that:

(1) that may be why MANY private schools in FL reject vouchers, and want no part of the FL voucher programs -- and, they are, again, under no law nor requirement to participate. Every private school in FL could have rejected vouchers.

(2) FL is a very transient state by its nature -- you have people constantly coming and going. So, these minimal requirements for sound financial footing, and some kind of educational criteria for teachers, seeks to assure the public that a fly by night operator can not come to FL today, and tomorrow set up a "voucher" school -- when the con artists' intent is not to educate.

(3) In comparison to requirements for public schools, as public schools muct comply with a school code over 1,000 pages, I would say these requirements you are showing me are minimal indeed - but, enough to deter a con artist. And, that is FL -- always trying to provide freedom, but, also trying to protect the consumer up to a point. If these requirements were any less, every crook in the country who wanted to steal money would have moved to FL and set up a "private school." This is what the FL law seeks to avoid, and frankly, I think FL did an excellenet job here.
140 posted on 07/05/2002 1:20:50 PM PDT by summer
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