jenna2891

forgive me if this has been brought up somewhere else recently and i missed it, but i have a question about school vouchers. why in the world would anyone (save teachers) be opposed to them? it seems to be to be a great idea all around.

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NEZCardsfan

I'll bite on this one........but do you mind, first telling me why you are for them?? I just want to see if you know the whole picture on this.

SirStefan32

They opose it because it takes power away from government and gives it to parents.

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jenna2891

vouchers are given to families and can be used towards the school of their choice. the average private school costs about $6000 per year, while the cost of public education per child per year is about $7500. obviously, less money for a better education. also, crappy schools would be forced to raise their standards or be shut down, as no one would deliberately pick a crappy school. there are definitely more positives, but i would like to hear one, valid negative. i have yet to hear that from the opposition.

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Rivercard

Didn't you see - SirStefan spoke for everyone.

jenna2891

i'm still open to hearing from the people who actually oppose it.

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Dback Jon

Jenna,
One of the issues with vouchers is what schools would be eligible - any school? Or just non-religious. Vouchers take resources from the public schools, and allow the private schools to cherry-pick the better students, leaving the special ed/troubled students in the public schools.

In addition, the main support for vouchers come from groups that are opposed to ANY public education - people that believe that the masses are not entitled (nor deserve) an education.

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jenna2891

see, i don't think that would happen. i think you would get a rise of specialty schools in response to the needs of the special ed students. and your response seems to imply that all the schools that exist now would be the only ones that exist with vouchers. more private school types would be created because that's where the demand would be. and it would also help foster a drive in underprivileged kids. if they know they could get into any school they wanted if their grades were good because money was not an option, then more kids would work harder. seems to me it would just lead to better students and better schools.

i have never heard that from a voucher supporter.

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Pariah

I haven't looked at the issue too closely, but it seems to me that the schools that would need to raise their level of education/student safety/facilities conditions/etc...would be left without any money to do so. So, it truly would be a case of "the rich get richer" because the schools that currently have these things will have even more funding to do continue to get better, while the schools that are currently in bad shape will have even less money with which to improve themselves.

Just at first blush, this is what seems to me to be the big problem.

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Divide Et Impera

Cost of private schooling would only go up. If, all of a sudden, everyone could afford to get into a private school, they would have to raise prices sharply to prevent or reduce overcrowding. Now, instead of being $6000 per year for a private school, it's $12000. With a voucher of only $6000, your bill would still eventually be $6000. It's Economics 101....

Linderbee

I agree with you there. I did a quick look online, and one of the reasons I found for opposition is that vouchers allow people to go to whatever school they want, including religious schools, which puts a separation of church and state issue into the mix.

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RedStorm

I pay my taxes like eveyone else and I know that it is important for society to have educated citizens. But, I think that choice and market forces can be a good thing to help raise the efficiency.

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Divide Et Impera

I don't worry about separation of church and state in this instance. As long as the state doesn't sanction religious schools exclusively or even show preferrence to one religion over the others, parents can use the vouchers as they well please according to their own beliefs. If a Muslim kid can go to an Islamic school as easily as a Christian can go to a Christian school, I don't care. This is not a separation issue, to me....

Rivercard

You are in denial then because your tax $'s will go directly to a religious institution whether it's christian of muslim.

RedStorm

Bingo...two'fer

Government would not be sanctioning any religion because the vouchers could be used to go to any school, religious or secular.

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