There was a story in yesterday’s Chron about a State Senate hearing on “school choice”, which is the euphemism given for vouchers. I think there are two points that need to be made.
Much of the public testimony Friday centered on the success of the privately funded voucher program that’s been operating in the San Antonio-area Edgewood school district for eight years. Hundreds of students there attend the public or private school of their choice because of the initiative.
“My future is bright because I had the opportunity to learn more than I ever would have at my neighborhood school,” said Casandra Juarez, 17, a senior at the Christian Academy of San Antonio.
The effort is partly funded by San Antonio businessman James Leininger, who has spent millions of dollars trying to unseat elected officials who have voted down legislative attempts to create a state-funded pilot voucher program.
The inequities and funding shortages in Texas’ public school system are driving the move toward school vouchers, advocates said.
“School choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century,” said Isabel Santa, spokeswoman for the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options. But the legal and political roadblocks of using tax money to offset private school tuition are tremendous, some said.
“It violates the concept in our U.S. Constitution of separation of church and state,” said Robert Schaffer, a member of the regional board for the Anti-Defamation League.
Channeling tax money to private schools will only worsen the problems plaguing public schools, voucher critics said.
Rather, they said, state money should be spent reducing class size, improving teacher quality and expanding magnet, charter and other offerings.
If you know anything about James Leininger, you understand that his support of vouchers is primarily about moving children away from secular public schools and into Christian private schools. His is a mission of evangelism. He may well believe that this is a better way to provide education, but the bottom line is that he wants that education to be Christian, and by that I mean his form of conservative Christian. Everything else flows from that.
(By the way, when you hear Carole Keeton Strayhorn claim to oppose vouchers, remember that she wouldn’t be where she is now if it weren’t for James Leininger.)
Point two is that this really is all about money. There’s a reason that the best schools are usually expensive private schools. Schools that have all the resources they need are going to be able to provide a better environment for their students. How much improvement do you think we could get if we ensured that every school had a modern physical plant, adequate security, up-to-date textbooks, lab equipment, musical instruments, and other materials, and a full complement of teachers and support staff? I’ll tell you what – if we ever do meet that baseline and there are still schools that fail to produce a satisfactory level of successful students, then you can talk to me about vouchers. Until then, I say we haven’t addressed the real problem.
Kimberly sat through this meeting and gives a report on who said what. Check it out.
Point two is that this really is all about money.
So how much is enough?
Give us a number, if it’s just about the money.
And then we can compare it to the cost of private schools, not all of which are ridiculously expensive.
Don’t forget that private schools also have the luxury of choosing their students, and can leave inconvenient students out – which tends to boost results.
We need educated people in order to have a middle class. An informed people are needed to hold onto Democracy.
However, even without an education, Democracy itself turns out to be a driving force in nature itself to the benefit of all, not just a very small few.
Democracy is in our very genes, not feudalism.
The GOP is trying to undo the middle class in every way because they really think it is a good idea when it really is not…even for them (another bad idea, they are wrong again).
One way they try to undo the middle class is by getting rid of our commitment to a good public education for all.
See:
Thom Hartmann
author, “Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class–And What We Can Do About It”
http://www.thomhartmann.com/screwed/author.htm
on
CSpan Today Sunday Oct 15 2006
Speech
Screwed
Vox Pop
Brooklyn, New York (United States)
ID: 194612 – 09/09/2006 – 1:26 – $29.95
………..
But, we should not demonize the right. They are wrong…not evil.
It is up to us to create the parade, and then the politicians will show up.
…………….
So how much is enough?
Give us a number, if it’s just about the money.
I did: Enough for every school to have a modern physical plant, adequate security, up-to-date textbooks, lab equipment, musical instruments, and other materials, and a full complement of teachers and support staff.
That’s the bottom line. When we’re providing that for every student, then I can accept that we’re spending “enough” on education.
from 9:30p — 11:00p
C-Span BookTV
Thom Hartmann
author,
“Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class–And What We Can Do About It”
with a forward by Mark Crispin Miller
Actually, many of the best schools are public schools in affluent districts where most of the parents have degrees and are committed to the education of their kids.
Many public schools, don’t have the benefit of parents who have the commitment, time, and money to support the school. These schools need strong public support, particularly in the form of funding for teachers. These schools also need to have a teacher-to-student ratio that will support the kids’ education and their staying in school through graduation.
The voucher debate is such a distraction. What we need to really focus on is reducing the drop out rate and increasing the value of a high school diploma.