[capecodder]

All states take fed-ed funds. In return, all states have agreed to fed-ed education goals. The states require local districts to conform with state law and regulation which is written to conform to federal law and regulation.

As a wise school administrator said to me on this topic: "If you take the king's shilling, you become the king's man."

[Austin Willard Wright]

Your argument that he who pays the piper, calls the tune is persuasive but your example is that of a government subsidy to providers (namely state governments), not to the consumers (namely parents) as would be case under vouchers. Again, I don't necessarily disagree with you but you have yet to provide a strong counterargument to this specific point as I outlined in my two previous posts.