Voucher Plan Clarifies 2 Schools of Opinion

We want to clarify the description of the proposed school voucher initiative in Dan Akst’s “California & Co.” column, “Businesses Pushing School Voucher Plan” (Dec. 10).

The voucher initiative proposed for the November, 1992, ballot would entitle every student in the state to a voucher worth 100% of per pupil public-school spending at any public school, but only 50% (about $2,600 in 1992) at private schools. Thus, funding for public schools will not fall.

In addition, students currently in private schools would not qualify for vouchers until fall 1995, a two-year lag from all other students, which allows savings to accumulate for public schools. Savings of $2,600 are generated as new students choose private schools, because they would otherwise cost the state $5,200 each at a public school.

This is important because during the 1990s 2 million new students will pour into a California public school system that does not have plans to cope with even half that surge in volume. Mobilizing private schools and urban organizations with vouchers, particularly in the inner city where growth will be explosive, can help public schools absorb the enormous influx, while generating vital savings in the face of huge state deficits.

ANDREW PATERSON

The writer is director of the Technology Leadership Council, an industry group that supports the voucher initiative.