I have a lot of friends suspicious of vouchers, or education savings accounts. One of my friends wrote the following for a publication printed by the public school district he lives in. This is what my friend had to say:
“School Vouchers or Education Savings Accounts—Not a Simple Yes or No
With our State running a large surplus this year, it’s easy for Texas to consider new things that are expensive but can be paid for because the pot is currently very full! Consider new initiatives like vouchers and education savings accounts (ESA). The idea is we can fund public education well and still have money to give parents to pursue other educational choices. The challenge in pursuing these ideas is that the devil is in the details!
At a time when Texas ranks, at best, 40th out of 50 states in education funding, this is an even more difficult discussion. Texas spends approximately $3,000 less per student than the average state on public education.
But what happens when, as in the past, our huge oil and gas State revenues decrease because of low commodity prices. What gets cut? The benefits that have been provided to those parents whose children are not in public schools, or something else? Raise your hand if you think our politicians are good at cutting taxpayer benefits when times get tough? I don’t think we’ll see many hands up!!
A cautionary note—remember when charter schools were first approved in Texas in the mid 1990’s? Very quickly, a number of very questionable charters were started because the State created a structure to approve charter schools without sufficient oversight and requirements. This allowed for both good and less-than-good charter schools to be formed. It took more than ten years, and millions of dollars of squandered taxpayer dollars to clean up the mess! (to see an example- google “Prepared Table”)
So, as we look at vouchers or ESA’s, advocate with legislators to ensure that the program does not create opportunities for fraud and abuse and does not diminish the quality of education our children are now receiving in public schools. Even more importantly, consider what happens when oil and gas revenue fall—what gets cut and how? With Texas toward the bottom of the country in funding public education, it’s even more critical that, if we’re to consider vouchers and ESA’s, we do it right!”
I used to be suspicious of vouchers, but no longer, and here’s why.
Over the past 50 years, we haven’t seen any long-term evidence that our public schools are making our kids smarter and stronger. True, there are periods of improvement, either at an age level or inside a district or state. But if you look at national data over the last 50 years, our country is flat when it comes to reading, writing, and problem-solving performance.
And it’s even worse for kids who have black or brown skin or are poor.
For the most part, state legislatures and school boards have used the same funding methods during this time of flat-line performance. They always tell us things are going to get better, but it never does.
So why wouldn’t we try something different?
Why wouldn’t we put money in the hands of parents, not just to choose private school over public, but to create, with support, a dynamic learning plan for their kids that may or may not include these places we call schools? (The problem with ESA laws in most Republican states right now is that the voucher is only eligible to be applied to a private school, and not allowed to be applied to an individual learning plan for the young learner).
Why wouldn’t we allow parents, whose kids are trapped in low-performing, toxic, sucky schools, the opportunity to create something different for their kids and their learning?
Why wouldn’t we take state budget surpluses and commit those dollars to an action research project whereby parents who choose to leave public schools, for whatever reason, are allowed a certain amount of money to help their kids become smarter and stronger.
If the action research project fails, then those kids won’t be any worse off than if they stay in their current low-performing, toxic, sucky school.
But at least then we’ll know.
Friday News Roundup tomorrow. SVB
A Better Path to Learning 
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