VOUCHERS: THE PARENT TRAP

TORCH, TEXAS EAGLE FORUM | MARCH 1999 | CATHY ADANS

[LarryLied]

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.

Raises a good point which needs to be addressed: Vouchers do not need to cover full tuition and states should not require they do.

It is better to have parents pay something.

The Children's Scholarship Fund gives out over 40,000 scholarships to lower income parents (under 25K I believe) a year. They only cover 50% of the tuition. Yet over 1 million parents apply for the scholarships.

Parents without much money are just like any other parent, they love their kids and will sacrifice for them. They can pick up a second job for a while, find some at home business to start--a few grand more a year in income is doable. And when parents do that, you know they will take a keen interest in seeing their kids do not slack off.

[summer]

I really apologize for all myh typos here! I meant: Yes, I have seen that before elsewhere.

[summer]

LOL! myh = my

[summer]

And, that is not to say nor imply that private schools not wishing to accept vouchers are "con artists" - there are many reasons why existing private schools do not want to participate, and opening its books may be one reason, but there are many other reasons as well.

[Starwind]

From post#69

Comply with federal antidiscrimination provisions.

Agree not to compel any opportunity scholarship student to profess a specific ideological belief, to pray, or to worship. The private school must adhere to the tenets of its published disciplinary procedures prior to the expulsion of an opportunity scholarship student.

I would have thought these 'intrusions' would prevent new religious private schools from opt-ing in to the voucher program. No?

Thank you for clarifying the relative costs of private vs voucher...surprising, but good news.

[Starwind]

LarryLied's post:
Vouchers do not need to cover full tuition and states should not require they do.

Whereas from post#69
Accept the opportunity scholarship amount provided by the state as full tuition and fees for each student.

So that aspect of post#69 is wrong? If a private tution exceeeds the value of the voucher, a parent can kick in the rest?

[summer]

Here's the article mentioning the new private schools opening. And, BTW, these schools are opening as a result of a different voucher porgram -- one paid for by corporate tax credits, and not requiring the student to come from a failing school. The only requirement is the student's family be low income. This program has been popular with blacks, and I expect Gov. Bush will win a lot more black votes this Nov. than most predict:

Parents snap up school vouchers
[Jeb's 3rd voucher program results in new private schools]

Also, I will ping you all on a few of the very real success stories of public schools following Gov. Bush's educational reforms.

[summer]

RE your post #146 - LOL... I can barely keep up here! give me a minute... :)

[Twodees]

Thanks for the ping. This is interesting indeed.

[iconoclast]

the requirement that a voucher 'cover' an entire year of private tuition (which is presumably much more costly than the public system spends)

Do you have any idea what the "gubment" schools cost?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it approach 10 grand/pupil in D.C.?

[Starwind]

Thanks for the posts to other threads. I've gotta leave for a while, I'll read'm when I get back.

Thanks very much for your time and clarifications.

[summer]

My pleasure, Starwind! :)

[iconoclast]

Then there are the additional intrusions which you verified.

Don't get me wrong ... I'm plenty concerned about the intrusion/usurption but what other alternative do we have to defeat gubmint monopoly?

Unfortunately, vouchers do nothing to directly combat the root problem of the invidious college departments of "education".

[summer]

Study: Failing Schools Improved Twice As Much As Other
Schools [Re: Jeb Bush's FL Education Reforms]

[Twodees]

I'm neither a liberal nor a libertarian and I'm totally opposed to government controlled public schools. My child goes to a private Christian academy. I am opposed to school vouchers because I want to see my child's school remain a high standard private school, not a dumping ground for the liberals' problem kids who are now not allowed to enroll.

Vouchers will bring government control to any private school which cashes a voucher. This is being made a federal issue as we speak, thanks to liberal republicans who, as usual with every issue, fail utterly to understand the problem.

What we should all concentrate our efforts upon is the abolition of the federal Department of Education. That was the goal at one time and all that has changed since we made it a goal is that the GOP leadership decided to give socialism one more chance.

Let them stick their silly voucher plan where the sun doesn't shine. It is a poor replacement for the action that is needed, the dismantling of a federal department and the rejection of a labor union as the final authority in schools.

You wouldn't take food stamps would you? Why do you want a voucher?

[Twodees]

Enough with the food stamp argument. A voucher system designed and approved by politicians is so unlikely to be anything like what you're describing as to be laughable.

There is simply no way in hell that any politician is going to relinquish a dime he's extorted without gaining more control in return. Do you envision vouchers as a simple break in taxes in the amount paid by a parent in tuition? Do you envision it as a food stamp redeemable at any private school in the range of travel of a family?

What is almost a dead certainty is that politicians envision vouchers as a food stamp redeemable only where they say in advance. Politicians will see to it that any private school accepting vouchers as payment for tuition will be subject to every lunatic union regulation and court ruling that public schools are subject to.

Surely you don't think that politicians have all suddenly become saints, or even normal human beings, do you?

[Twodees]

I send my child to a private Christian academy.

[summer]

Re post #146 - I'll have to come back to that question! :)

[capecodder]

USA Today-Letters to the Editor

April 9, 1999 Florida Gov. Jeb Bush

Fla. Education Plan

For the record, I want to clarify two potentially misleading points in Walter Shapiro's column in USA TODAY on my "A+ Plan for Education" (Vouchers pass in Fla., but will schools?" Hype and Glory column, News, April 2).

Shapiro stated that private school students in Florida are not required to take the statewide assessment exam. While this is technically true, our plan requires that children in chronically failing public schools who use "Opportunity Scholarships" to attend a private school, continue to take the statewide assessment exam.

Shapiro also stated that Florida's private schools are not accredited by th state. In fact the state does not accredit any school, public or private. However, the vast majority of both public and private schools in Florida are accredited by regional accrediting organizations suth as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Furthermore, under our A+ Plan, private schools that accept Opportunity Scholarships must either become accredited or be working toward accreditation.

By requiring students using Opportunity Scholarships to continue to take the statewide assessment exam and by requiring accreditation of private schools accepting Opportunity Scholarhips, we believe that our A+ Plan is designed to determine whether they will work.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush

Tallahassee, Fla.

[capecodder]

When you have the time, see #159 from the Governor himself.