The voucher program has basically two types of vouchers being proposed, a charity voucher or an educational voucher.
The charity voucher is best described by the guy who first suggested the voucher program back in 1955, Nobel Prize–winning economist Milton Friedman kick-started modern education reform with an article titled “The Role of Government in Education.” You'll like the article, SS!!
http://www.reason.com/0512/fe.ng.the.shtml
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“Charity vouchers are unfortunately what we’ve gotten mostly so far. They are intended for low-income people who are unquestionably the worst victims of our deficient school system. Charity vouchers help the poor but they will not produce any real reform of the educational system. And what we need is a real reform. “
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Some of these charity vouchers have academic requirements (now being used in 5 different states) on them and Illinois I think it is wants to propose vouchers for students who are failing in low income districts. I would be more inclined to provide vouchers for those who prove they want an education???
The educational vouchers, like you and others advocate, are available to everyone, and this check or piece of paper can be used anywhere. If this would have, or could have been implemented in 1955, it may have had the competitive market, that in theory, could have improved all educational facilities, and we most likely wouldn’t be in the situation we find ourselves in now!
Today, I tend to agree with these folks on the points listed below;
http://www.adl.org/vouchers/vouchers_main.asp
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When offered the opportunity to vote on voucher-like programs, the public has consistently rejected them; voters in 19 states have rejected such proposals in referendum ballots. In the November 1998 election, for example, Colorado voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have allowed parochial schools to receive public funds through a complicated tuition tax-credit scheme. Indeed, voters have rejected all but one of the tuition voucher proposals put to the ballot since the first such vote over 30 years ago.
Implementation of voucher programs sends a clear message that we are giving up on public education.
Private schools are allowed to discriminate on a variety of grounds. These institutions regularly reject applicants because of low achievement, discipline problems, and sometimes for no reason at all. Further, some private schools promote agendas antithetical to the American ideal… Indeed, the proud legacy of Brown v. Board of Education may be tossed away as tax dollars are siphoned off to deliberately segregated schools.
Proponents of vouchers argue that these programs would allow poor students to attend good schools previously only available to the middle class. The facts tell a different story. A $2,500 voucher supplement may make the difference for some families, giving them just enough to cover the tuition at a private school (with some schools charging over $10,000 per year, they would still have to pay several thousand dollars). But voucher programs offer nothing of value to families who cannot come up with the rest of the money to cover tuition costs.
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I am also concerned about the abuses of the system! What happens when that low income welfare mother with 5 kids makes it through the required college hours to start her own school in her own home with her 5 children as students? Are you willing to give her $2500-$5000 per child a month in her private school? What about other questionable organizations like Arian brotherhoods, KKK, organized crime, or gang bangers find a way to utilize this free money??? I know a Mormon family with 15 kids should they be paid, $75,000 monthly for their brood??? Why not, that is what it is for???
I'm also not convinced that the price of private schools would decrease? As long as that is what the government offers that will be the minimum, just like hospitals they would get as much out of the government as they can possibly get. Then the schools will add to the cost to eliminate undesirables, getting around any discrimination laws???
Rebellion, before the "no child left behind" program, we had a "pass them and get them out of our hair" program, and one is just as bad as the other in tit's implementation, both are mainly concerned about how much money they get for their efforts rather than providing a marketable item! Another educated productive member of society!!!
Buck S. N.
