[crisdux]

In communities near me, recent expansions of school vouchers has been a game changer. Public schools are struggling and private schools give students a much better education. Public schools were failing well before private school vouchers existed.

[linuxlizard]

Are the private schools forced to take any students? Or can they cherry pick just the best students? Do they reject anyone that needs an IEP? Public schools are legally obligated to provide an education to anyone, no matter how much trouble they cause. If these private schools take public coin, they should be required to follow the same laws.

[busterarm]

When an airplane loses compression they instruct you to put your own mask on before you assist with other peoples'.

School should be the same way. Education should not be lowest-common-denominator. My kids should not have less opportunity because other kids have greater challenges.

Operating that way is ethical and humane.

[eesmith]

Why should my tax dollars go to have your kids attend a non-public school, rather than the ones needing oxygen at a public one?

[busterarm]

It's the same tax dollars. It's paying for kids to go to school. That's a public good. You want society to do this.

Why should your tax dollars only go to schools controlled by the state? Do you care that public schools in the US typically have worse outcomes and have to spend more per child to get there?

[frumper]

OP seems to be saying if the non state controlled schools follow the rules as state schools then that is fine, but they currently don't. Not many private schools provide special education services for one.

[eesmith]

You have interpreted my comment correctly. Thanks!

[eesmith]

> Do you care that public schools in the US typically have worse outcomes and have to spend more per child to get there?

That statement is not true.

There are many problems with the non-public system. I'll use the term "voucher" school to mean a school which is not controlled by a school board whose members are voted for by the residents of the school catchment area. (This isn't quite correct, as there are public schools run by a school board controlled by the state.) A "voucher" school also receives either money directly from taxes, or indirectly through, for example, a tax credit to the school or to the parents of the student.

1) the finances are not public, and include cases where the non-profit voucher school pays rent to a for-profit company, and pays license fees to a for-profit company, where are three are owned by the same person. The non-profit is not incentivized to get the best deal, which means my tax dollars go to enrich the owner rather than the students.

2) voucher schools generally spend money on advertisements, which target the student population they prefer rather then the entire population. The money for advertisements reduces the amount of money available to schools. Good advertising beats good teaching, because the advertising comes first. A local voucher school advertised a few years ago that all students would get their own tablet for learning. Now this school is in financial troubles, and doesn't have enough staff.

3) voucher schools can select their student population through many means, for example, require parental involvement every week, which selects for richer families which have that amount of free time.

4) voucher schools have more freedom to expel students. If a student is unruly, rather than using expensive counseling to help resolve the issues, a voucher school can expel the student. If a student has subpar grades, the school can make it known that the student is unwelcome for the next year, and can use behavior problems as subtext to expel that student.

Thus, you have some voucher schools which appear to do well, but they are not held anywhere near the same standards and obligations as actual public schools.

I don't want my tax dollars going to voucher schools. If you want to sent your kid to a private school, go ahead. Just don't expect me to subsidize you.

[eesmith]

(typo: "as subtext to expel" should be "as pretext to expel")