Issue 96 Vouchers June 11, 2013

            School vouchers are another answer to school choice.  It is a lump sum of money given to parents of children who qualify for the purpose of educating their child.  The money may be used to go toward a charter school, a private school or even a public school to offset the schools cost.  Because the cost is offset by the voucher, it allows for parents a wider variety of options when choosing a school creating school choice.

 Who's in charge?:   Who should implement a voucher program?  The States, like that of New York or Texas, that’s who.  They have a vested interest in the education of students for a good education means a better workforce which means both higher property values and it attracts bigger better businesses.  The Federal government is far too big and clunky, not to mention too far away to implement a proper program.  As such, the Federal government is only capable of a one size fits all program resulting in some people getting money when they don’t really need it or not getting enough.  States can implement a voucher program through the county governments to allow for a more customized approach. This program of course will have to be implemented by the States education board or similar body.

Make it fair:   Vouchers should be distributed based exclusively on income and the costs of the area in which the applicant lives.  This is achieved by means testing at the county level of government to ensure parents get the maximum amount they need as the county governments knows the costs for its citizens to live under its leadership.  The parents who would get the voucher will generally be citizens who meet the poverty line in the county they live in and thus keep voucher distribution fair.

Competition:   Schools that loose students due to parental choice will be forced to compete for students because they want that voucher money too.  Therefore they will try to make themselves more attractive to parents resulting in children getting a better education from public schools who reform to meet the new threat of losing students to other schools.

 Fears:   Vouchers have been criticized because it will cause public schools populations to decrease.  Thus, only the undesirables, the disabled who cannot be accommodated and the poor will be left in the public school.  Fewer students mean more attention by teachers towards the remaining students.  Going from 30 to 25 students in a classroom means a teacher has five less students to worry about.  Smaller class sizes means more attention to students who need it and results in they student getting a better education. 

 The second critic to vouchers is that the school will loose money.  Well yea, with one less student to teach means the money going towards educating that student becomes unnecessary.  So what tax payer would mind a budget cut which reduces the economic burden on parents and the community at large?  This is a tax relief that may even allow more students to be able to go to a private or a charter school.  This is not a bad thing unless you believe that lost money could have been better spent on the other students.  But the problem with that argument is that both private and charter schools both educate their students with less money, usually with equal or better results.  Money has not, nor will it ever be the solution to educations problems.  School choice is.

 Conclusion:  Vouchers look to fund students, not schools.  By funding students, you give the parents options to send their children to better schools.  At the same time, it forces schools who are failing to innovate to get those students back and thus get the money in the voucher.  This means school choice leads to better schools.