Monday, August 14, 2017

School Vouchers

As I was getting ready for work this morning, my mind wandered into the school voucher arena. I freely admit to sending my children to a private school for elementary school and junior high. It was a decision my wife and I made after reviewing the curriculum for the publicly funded school where we lived. It wasn't challenging enough, in my opinion. Our girls are not geniuses but they're were prepared to learn when the time to start school came. Our family situation enabled their maternal grandparents to act as care providers, nurturing and reading to them. My wife and I were able to spend time with them as well, reading, talking, and playing with them. We had the means to send them to a quality pre-school which focused on early child development and learning skills.
Not once in those years did it occur to me that we shouldn't be paying school taxes or that we should be getting a credit toward the tuition. Tax is NOT tuition.
That being said, I came to what I think could be an equitable solution to the dilemma faced by parents in a similar situation to what we found ourselves in. Here's the idea -
  • Vouchers would be issued equal to the amount spent per pupil by the local school district for the prior school year. The amount is made up of local, state and federal funds.
  • The funds would be paid directly to the school, rather than to parents or guardians.
  • In order for a school to be eligible for ANY funds through the voucher system, it must be licensed as a school, it must meet education standards mandated by the state AND -
  • It must accept the amount of the voucher as full payment (tuition + fees) for any students who would qualify for reduced or free lunch if they attended a public school.
  • The ratio of "free lunch" students and non-eligible students must mirror that of the school district in the which the school operates.
What do you think?