What is "school choice" in the US?

It means that the money that would normally be given to public schools for your kid attending that public school is transferable to private schooling

 

How does a kid not going to a public school "screw everyone else?"

Well the government owns it, so it's the government's problem, not the publics.

Do the state funded but privately run schools involve fees?

 

Locking kids into a union run monopolistic education system based on where they live is wrong.

 

What the hell is a school property tax?

 

"School choice" in general means parents can choose to enroll kids at any school in the district rather than just the one proximity would dictate.

 

In the same way, does the government "pay" parents to send their kids to public schools?

 

Does this mean that in some areas, parents can NOT choose to enroll kids at any school in the district, even if they have the money to pay all of the fees?

 

Ok, so school choice policies then are simply to remove these few exceptions, allowing for total 100% freedom?

 

In some cases yes, I believe so.

 

It basically means tax dollars follow the students rather than go to geographic areas where students live. In the US, public education is a bloated, lumbering monster that eats money and is expected to produce very little. Most Americans who pay for private school, are still expected to pony up tax money for the public schools. School choice seeks to change that and force schools to do better if they want more funding. Schools must compete for students and, by extension, funding, and they'll also gain more control over who's allowed to attend.

 

Wasn't this in order to prevent the federal government from imposing an establishment of religion on the States?

 

Some kids are not allowed?

 

At highly competitive schools, yes some will be not be allowed to attend. They'll go somewhere else.

 

Because once the selfish parents get their own children out of state schools, they'll no longer care about the quality of the state system, with increased pressures to lower tax funding, introduce (or increase the value of) vouchers and they'll push against any kind of regulation or monitoring of private or home-schooling.

Thanks for so clearly demonstrating the attitude I was talking about. It's our government and our schools educating the children of our communities. It's everyone's problem - even those of us without children of our own - which is exactly why it's one of the things we elect governments to manage.

No, the funding essentially works the same, they were just transferred from local government control to privately owned trusts (with somewhat less regulation). The controversy has died down but I'm not convinced they've made anything better, just different.

 

In the United States, if you own property, home or land, you pay an annual property tax on a per $100 valuation of the property minus whatever exemption or exemptions you can qualify for. This is true for home or personal residence. All states in the US have property tax laws, and it is usually paid for by the mortgage company in part of your mortgage payment plus the escrow account. If you have no mortgage or if you have an original mortgage where it is less than 80% of the original value of the home, then you, as the owner pay it to the county or state, whichever applies. It is generally considered a local tax but in some cases, it can be a state tax as well. Property tax can fund public schools, state and county government, and certain special districts such as hospital districts for instance. In the United States, all primary, secondary, and public education is not funded by the federal government using tax revenue per se. The US Department of Education can provide grants for specific projects, but in no way does the Federal Government manage or decide what is and what is not allowed to be taught or how to administer the public school system. The public school system is the traditional public schools, charter schools, and Magnet schools if that state has them.

https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes...state property,you and your local governments.

https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/property-tax

 

That will depend on the state. The only state to do this currently is Louisiana and is done as a "credit" of some sort.

But the "choice" has always been there. If you want to homeschool your child, you can do so, but you still need to pay the property tax if you own property. If you want to send your child to private school, you can do so, pay for the tuition and all the amenities, such as uniforms, books, etc, out of your own pocket, but still have to pay the property tax. Or you can send your child to either charter or traditional public school. But the only state who pays is Louisiana.

https://www.edchoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/123s-of-School-Choice-2020-4.pdf

 

Yes, so then there's no actual thing called "school property tax."

 

Yes but if the schools are not performing to a decent standard, who fixes them?

 

Yes and no. My property tax bill has two property taxes. One for the county and one for the school district my home is located in.

 

That captures the current situation. In the US, some states take a portion of the money they spend per pupil, that previously can only be accessed through public schools and provides a voucher that the parents can use and spend at the school of their choice.

FL for example spends $11k per student and is going to provide parents with an $8k voucher that they can use at the private school of their choice,

Universal school choice headed to DeSantis’ desk after passing Florida Senate. Cory DeAngelis: “The dominoes are falling and there’s nothing the power-hungry teachers unions can do about it.”

“Florida is the fourth state legislature to pass universal school choice in 2023 and would be the sixth to enact school choice for all families in just two years, according to DeAngelis.”

DeSantis wanted this means tested, but, he'll likely sign the bill passed by the legislature that is universal.

 

Isn't that exactly what teaching (your) religion in public schools? And it doesn't matter what 'yours' even is, because that statement applies to any religion. Since we the People have many faiths (and some of us, including those of us who have already had a taste of death and the afterlife have none) then by teaching any specific one means you are endorsing that one over all others, which is inappropriate and illegal. The State MUST be secular.

 

Can you rephrase?

Even if the State endorsed one religion over the others, how would this mean that people would not be free to chose a different religion?

 

Directly, whoever is running those schools. That applies (or should!) regardless of funding or status though, including private schools and home-schooling.

The key question is what the underlying motivations of those people are, which could include things like getting re-elected, making a profit, keeping their jobs, indoctrinating the next generation, getting the most for them/people like them or helping provide a quality education for the whole community. Where any of the motivations other than the last one are potential factors, what kind of monitoring, regulations and/or laws could and should apply to temper those undue biases.

None of that benefits from the conflicts and divisions that come from creating and promoting "us and them" attitudes within the system or any of us deciding that all of this is someone else's responsibility as long as (we believe) it doesn't impact us personally.

 

Didn't you essentially say in your first sentence that it IS someone else's responsibility?

 

By the People, For the People, Of the People