Vouchers

The dominant class benefits from a poorly educated population. It perpetuates their hegemony, the socio-economic structure which they have imposed on the rest of us. Why is it that in the land of capitalism the education, healthcare, housing, and transportation systems are on the verge of collapse and in need of deep reform? Vouchers will benefit the dominant class and a few people outside of it, and leave most people with the same deplorable situation.

Pancho @ 1:24 PM PST, Feb 14, 2008

We need vouchers and then have parents and schools decided who to accept and not accept. I live in Compton where the school are HORRIBLE! They were taken over by the State of California a few years ago and still have major "issues." I drive across town everyday to take my children to a Catholic school where the education and opportunity is MUCH better and my children are top students at this school. As a single mother of two I stuggle every month to make the tuition payment, but I know it will be worth it in the end. Vouchers may not help everyone, but I definitely would benefit from a education voucher!

lachristiangirl @ 11:49 AM PST, Feb 14, 2008

My money is taken from me at legalized gunpoint in the name of taxes so some ingrate illegal immigrant can get free meals and an education on how to scam the system. Why can't I use my money to educate my children in the way they best learn? It's not public money going to a religious school, it's my money going to a public school that teaches a religion that is against my religion. It time for another revolt against taxation without representation.

father of sons @ 4:14 AM PST, Feb 15, 2008

I have a major concern about using public tax dollars to pay for religious education. Many religiously based schools provide an excellent education and manage to keep the religious aspects within their proper boundaries. But others are simply fundamentalist indoctrination programs. Teaching creationism in a biology class is academic fraud, to give one example. I can't think of any practical way to distinguish between the two categories of schools. By the way, my son graduated from a Catholic high school and my daughter attends a Catholic elementary school.

Michael @ 1:01 PM PST, Feb 14, 2008

Give vouchers a try. What is the worst thing that could happen with a reasonable set of test cases? A few sore union memebers? We didn't worry about triying all sorts of other dumb plans like whole word reading and goals 2000. So what is the big deal anyway? They might actually work very well. It's surely not the end of public education in our country if they don't work out all that well.

simplat @ 12:42 PM PST, Feb 14, 2008

We have long had vouchers for college & university students -- we call them Pell Grants. Why not for K-12? I suspect the major obstacle is teachers unions.

Norm Stahl @ 11:55 AM PST, Feb 14, 2008

There are better ways to improve public education. To start remove the requirement that public schools have to provide Special Education and provide those children vouchers to recieve the special education and care they need from private institutions. Its the resources required for 'mainstreaming' these children that depletes our public school budgets and distracts from a quality public school education.

John Grace @ 11:18 AM PST, Feb 14, 2008

One of the problems with competition between private and public schools is that private schools will resist competing on a level playing field which is allowing every student to enroll on a non - discriminatory basis. Private Schools pick and choose according to their own priorities: some for money some for athletic or scholastic ability or religion. If we fund these with tax dollars through Vouchers we eliminate a free and equal education for all and instead turn public schools into dumping grounds for students no one else wants. This discriminatory course is a giant step backwards.

John Grace @ 11:14 AM PST, Feb 14, 2008

Band-aids, band-aids. Much like people moving money from one pot to another, this is just shifting someone's problem to someone else, and then creating TWO problems in the end. The school system, whether public or private, is the perfect storm of unexceptional teachers, indulgent and whiny parents, and entitled children.

smily @ 10:44 AM PST, Feb 14, 2008

I have supported vouchers for 40 years. The teachers' union is against vouchers simply because the union would lose power and poor teachers would lose their jobs if a competive marketplace for education existed.. For those 40 years I have viewed the educational system worsen and worsen as poor and minority students continued to be poorly educated. Rich students lived in districts with good schools or went to private schools. Competition is the only way to give people a choice. Better that parents have a choice than school boards and teachers.

Ed @ 10:32 AM PST, Feb 14, 2008

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