Issue: Should Nevada institute a school voucher program?
A Voice for School Choice
By Sen. Maurice Washington
Let us first get something straight: The issue of school vouchers should be redefined as the issue of educational opportunities. Currently, the state of Nevada spends approximately $5,800 per child per year for a public school education. Why shouldn’t the parent of any student have the right to decide how these funds are allocated? The opposing viewpoint would suggest that allowing any family to use these funds at its own discretion and select a school of its choice would further erode the effectiveness of the public school system. I say that if the public schools were doing their job, there would be no outcry from dissatisfied parents who want more for their children.
Allowing school choice through school vouchers would also level the playing field for families on the lower social strata, offering them the same opportunities as those who are financially able to send their children to private institutions. School vouchers would give parents the choice of a school where: teacher-to-student ratios are much more desirable; where teachers are allowed to work more closely with either a gifted student or an academically challenged student; and where education of the child is at the top of the list, regardless of social pressures or social status.
Students and their families always give careful consideration to their choice of higher education. Can you imagine the government taking your savings account and choosing the college for your son or daughter?
The proponents of keeping vouchers away from those who deserve choice would have you believe that the money would be hard to keep track of, that the money would be funneled into parochial or religious organizations, or even that lower-income families would mismanage any such funds. Does anyone believe that any local, state or national governmental agency could handle their money better than the head of a family household? My view of this issue is simple – give the power to the parents.
Vouchers are Not the Answer
By Mary Ella Holloway
Vouchers are not a panacea for education improvement, as some would have us believe. Not only are vouchers bad public policy, but they are bad for children. Allocating public funds to private schools will not improve public schools. Vouchers siphon money from those children who need it the most.
Vouchers are touted as providing parents with a better choice for children who are in schools that are not responsive to their needs. However, there is no guarantee that children will get into the school of their choice. Private schools do not accept every child who applies for admission. They often have exclusions and preferences based on ability, religion, gender and race.
Vouchers allow the provisions for the separation of church and state guaranteed by the First Amendment to be circumvented. Religious schools account for about 85 percent of private schools. There is something fundamentally wrong with private religious schools being supported by public monies.
Children and taxpayers lose when public school budgets are cut, diverting funds from very important programs. In actuality, vouchers can cost the taxpayers much more. The 1993 California voucher scheme would have cost $2 billion and the 1992 Colorado plan would have cost $350 million in extra dollars. Diverting public funds from at-risk schools that are suffering from a lack of funding doesn’t make sound educational sense. The very schools that most need increased funding would have their budgets cut.
In addition, private schools are not required to meet the same state standards set for public schools. They are not required to accept all children regardless of ability and individual problems, academic or behavioral, and are not required to provide special education or second language learning services.
We need to improve the opportunities for children in public schools, provide smaller classes, hire and train the best teachers, and have high expectations for all students. Stripping public schools of needed resources will not create better schools.