This article on educational vouchers appears in full over at Read Reel Reviews. You can find that article, with resources and research links right here.
What is a Voucher?
School vouchers are up for a vote right now in Texas. If it seems overly complicated, I’d love to help break it down for you.
I’ve been so fortunate to attend and teach at homeschool co-ops, private k-12, private preschools, and currently I’m working at a title one public school. There is inherent value in each of these options.
Educational vouchers are a “school choice” program that offers a very small percentage of students, less than 10% in Texas, an allotted amount of money to use on education. But you still pay into the general education fund in your state. And you don’t get to choose what’s approved to spend the money on. In Texas, homeschoolers would receive a thousand dollars for curriculum (that’s pre approved by the state), private schoolers would receive 10,000 for tuition expenses, and public schools would receive around $6,000 per student, while revoking any state or federal funding possible from public schools. So why is it a scam? Because we have evidence that it is a failed program that costs taxpayers and parents more with each year it’s implemented.
Vouchers will not open up more school choice for a vast majority of Texas parents and will dramatically increase their costs.
Let’s break it down…
5 Reasons Educational Vouchers are a Scam
- It’s a tax and spend system that will cost tax payers more and expand government into private schools and homeschooling. It costs parents and taxpayers more in the end. Private schools will increase their prices and public schools will be forced to start charging for things.
- It’s a lottery system. 100,000 vouchers MIGHT be given out. While reducing spending on the remaining 5 MILLION students in public schools.
- It does not cover the entirety of private education tuition, much less the extras like transportation, extracurriculars, uniforms, tutoring, and technology. It will defund, close, and make things harder on schools (public and charter) that are already underfunded.
- The program doesn’t WORK. In states where these programs have already been enacted, like Arizona. Schools have been closing, teacher shortages widening, and scores across the board are lower- even for students who used vouchers. And over 70% of those students were already attending private schools.
- it’s an ESA account, much like a Health Savings Account. So you don’t just get to pick and choose where the voucher $$ goes. AND the people that do are able to accept donations from other private companies, like publishers, who want to have their products on the spend list. (SB2 Sec.A29.370.AA GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS.)
The Fiscal Irresponsibility of Educational Vouchers
I’m going to use Texas as an example because it’s the bill I’ve done the most research on. But it is applicable to other voucher programs as well. To find out what funding comes from the department of education and why it is so vital for schools to keep this funding, check out this video.
Texas is already in the bottom 10% of states for per pupil school funding Tax dollars go to a big pot and then are doled back out. You aren’t funding the school next to you with your tax dollars, you’re funding Texas schools because a free and public education is vital for the future of our society. Educational vouchers to me are like toll roads. We all as taxpayers pay for roads. But toll roads cost a majority of drivers more money than they’re already paying on their taxes for the roads. And completely leave out the people who don’t have reliable transportation or can’t pay for the extra fees.
Texas spends less than $7,000 per pupil. The voucher program pays out UP TO $10,000 in an ESA account. Much less for homeschoolers. So even if you’re chosen for the lottery, that doesn’t mean that you’ll get the maximum amount available. This will cause a need for staff to pick and choose who and what gets funded. As well as to start regulation of the private institutions now accepting public dollars. Public schools will have to start charging for the things that private schools already charge for. Like technology, a $500 fee at the private school down the road from us.
The most reasonable full time private school in our area costs $15,000 per year in tuition, with a $500 technology fee, $350 fee per sport, $1,500 fee for new enrollment, $400 for a few days of uniforms if you’re a girl, and about $250 for boys. One of the things that frustrated my mom about our uniform code was that we had to wear a uniform jacket too. Those run $45-150 each, and a letterman could easily run over $300. This is entirely out of reach for a majority of Americans. Students at public schools have the option of buses, transportation being provided, and reduced after school care fees. Private schools do not offer transportation or reduced after school care.
According to the proposed budget, Texas would be spending a billion in the first year. However, the proposed costs are over TWO billion. With the projected 5 year budged being over 5 billion dollars on this program alone. How do they plan to make up for that deficit? Reallocating money from public schools and other child based funding programs. But that’s not even the most outrageous part of the proposal. The comptroller will decide what the voucher funds can or cannot go to. And the comptroller can accept donations from private entities to help fund those dollars. So for instance, a publishing company could ‘donate’ $10,000 to the program and then make hundreds of thousands of dollars because they’re the approved curriculum publisher.
5 Ways Not to get Swindled by the Voucher Scam
- Contact your elected officials. Here’s an easy way to find out who your reps are. You don’t have to call. You can also e-mail them or send them a letter. If you live in Texas, here’s a quick form that will email them for you.
- Share resources with information that educates people or gives them specific action points.
- Ask for public schools to be fully funded.
- Donate to programs advocating for public schools, or give directly to your local schools. PTA’s often have restaurant fundraisers, where you don’t have to spend any additional money, just what you would normally spend eating out together.
- Share POSITIVE public school experiences. For decades politicians and religious leaders have been spreading negative and fear inducing public school stories meant to tear apart trust in the institution. Sharing a positive story makes a huge difference right now.
Conclusion on Educational Vouchers:
The educational vouchers program is a failed program. It costs taxpayers and parents more money across the board. While providing tuition coupons to a select few that are, more than likely, already attending private schools. At the cost of MILLIONS of other students!!
Here’s another example for you, Texas recently privatized their foster care system. Making an already ethically murky practice murkier. Politicians claimed that it would save the state money and save more children and it has done neither. It’s been an unmitigated disaster since it rolled out. Free and public education is a cornerstone of a free society which must be strengthened. And we cannot abandon or not fully educate over 90% of our future society. It’s unnaceptable.
And if, after examining the evidence, you’re thinking “Well, my family would really like this coupon!” I’d like you to stop and consider three things.
One– Is it worth making the educational landscape worse for a majority of children? The ones your children will one day be working with?
Two– Is it worth making things harder on low income students and those experiencing foster care?
Three– Is it worth adding in government regulation to private education institutions?
Check out other related articles:
Full educational vouchers post with research links.
Enola Holmes educational quiz and discussion questions
10 Ways to Bring the Gospel Into Education– It’s NOT the 10 Commandments