From the very first minute a child walks into a government school he begins his dependence on government. Government schools are fundamentally collectivism and socialism.
The child learn (merely by attending) that government has the police power to FORCE his neighbor to pay for a service the his parents want for tuition=free. They learn that the voting mob comrade committees ( school boards) can control their very thoughts.
Well!... If government and comrade people's committees can force a neighbor to pay for tuition-free schooling, why not thousands of other socialist goods and services?
Woodrow Wilson, the IRS, the federal reserve, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal, the Great Society, Carter, Clinton, and Obama were not accidents. GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS MADE THEM INEVITABLE!!!
Government schooling definitely teaches children two things:
** how to think godlessly
** to be comfortable with collectivist socialism.
When we first started discussing the issue it was the three of them against me. During the discussion I was arguing for neutrality by the schools. They were of course arguing for school prayer. I then asked them what prayer would we use. The protestant argued that the majority should decide. I then stated the fact that the largest single denomination in the country is catholic and suggested we start the day with a prayer to mary. The protestant was of course aghast and blurted out that catholics weren't real christians. Needless to say after that I had two new converts to my side.
I understand that in your world view there is no neutrality. However, the government schools you degenerate so much have made this the wealthiest and most free nation in the world. The big problem I see with the public schools is we try to do the impossible. Unlike the rest of the western world we try to get everyone to graduate from high school and be college prep.
As far as going entirely to private schools most state constitutions require that the state provide a public education to all children. Therefore you would have to get a state constitutional amendment passed to get rid of public schools.