Democrats Limit Future Financing for Washington Voucher Program

[groundloop]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats have put conditions on future federal financing for a small school voucher program here, and they are urging the schools chancellor to prepare the public schools to re-enroll, in fall 2010, some 1,700 students currently attending private schools at taxpayer expense.

Representative Howard P. McKeon, a Republican, accused Democrats of wanting to end the Opportunity Scholarships program in Washington. Republican lawmakers contend that the conditions that were quietly inserted into a huge spending bill this week were an effort by Democrats to kill the nation’s only federally financed voucher program.

Last year, a Congressionally mandated review of the program by Department of Education researchers concluded that there were no significant differences between the test scores of students who received a voucher and those who applied but, not receiving one, attended public schools instead.

Parents of students taking part said they believed that the private schools their children attended were safer than public schools, the study found. But the voucher students themselves rated their school experiences no more highly than did children attending neighborhood schools, the study found.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/education/28voucher.html

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I tend to agree with the position that money spent on school vouchers would be better spent on improving public schools. (Besides, if republicans are for them then they must be bad, but I'm open to listening to opposing opinions).

[bluestateguy]

1. I am all for private schools

and I encourage any parent who wants to send their kid to a private school to pay for it.

[InkAddict]

9. Including the transportation to and fro - yes! n/t

[Frances]

2. The Repubs intended vouchers

to be used to end public education.

Richer people could use the voucher and then add their own money so their children could go to good schools.

Poorer people who could not afford to add their own money to the voucher money would wind up sending their kids to substandard schools that would not be subject to oversight.

The fundamentalists loved the program because their kids could go to religious schools on the public's dime.

[HelenWheels]

3. Vouchers in WI

Every school district in WI is assessed money that is sent to pay for vouchers for kids in Milwaukee. Our district sends $250,000 that could be used to take care of our own kids. Right now we are cutting positions and increasing fees for students so it's not right to send that money out of our district.

[keopeli]

4. Fund public schools! Vouchers are a Republic boondoggle

Why would a "free market" conservative expect government money for a private school? Because they are cheap bastards that want to hurt public schools and promote religious schools - period.

Private schools are fine and should remain private. Vouchers are an entitlement program designed to undermine our public education system. Vouchers most often go to wealthy (or well-off) families who want their kids to learn the lies they promote - Intelligent Design, Abstinence Education, etc.

I have worked for private religious schools for several years. They have a VERY limited market and need money from the state to stay in business. But, why should the state support religious schools? If there is not enough demand for a private school that teaches social radicals and religious zealots, then the school should either close or broaden their approach to be more socially acceptable.

Peace

[xxqqqzme]

5. I have an uncle, who was a

public high school counselor for many years, on the school board, all his kids are public school teachers; my aunt, a librarian in public high school library. All of them voted Democratic except my uncle. When poppy * was pushing vouchers heavily in the early 90s, the light finally went on. He told me he felt betrayed by the rethuglican party he had loyally supported his entire life. He voted for Clinton in '92; donated big time to Howard Dean and has worked tirelessly to get democrats elected locally.

All because of vouchers.

[surrealAmerican]

6. It's very telling that the only "advantage" to the voucher schools ...

... was that they seemed safer to the parents (but NOT to the children who actually went there every day).

[Hannah Bell]

7. Chicago: 16 more public schools slated for closures, cuts

By Clement Daly
28 February 2009

Chicago school officials voted on Wednesday to close, consolidate, or vastly restructure 16 public schools beginning in the fall. The decision reflects not only the devastating impact of the economic crisis on the public school system, but also the efforts of the Democrat-dominated political establishment to replace publicly funded education with private, for-profit schools.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/feb2009/chic-f28.shtml

[marshall]

8. Will this affect enrollment at Sidwell Friends?

Attention will be drawn even more on the school system with a president who has two daughters in the private system. I wonder how many children are enrolled at Sidwell Friends with vouchers. I'm sure it will be a topic of discussion in the coming days.

[bluestateguy]

10. I don't think vouchers would help much for Sidwell's tuition

Their tuition is comparable to an expensive private university's tuition. A voucher would only make a small dent. Vouchers are more targeted toward parochial school tuitions, which are much lower.

[fascisthunter]

11. vouchers are BS... fund public schools

vouchers were a scam to move funds from the "commons" to private profit driven schools. In other words, they are bilking the tax payer....