Freedom of Choice vs Government Schools

Posted by Peter O'Brien on May 7, 2009 - 8:21am
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Why is it that in the land of freedom and opportunity we are forced to pay school taxes?

This is not a rant on the taxes themselves but more on the lack of choice in where students can recieve an education.  I understand that an educated society is a benefit to society itself.  But when all we hear about is how government schools need more money and are failing our kids to the tune of over $10,000 a student per year, how can we keep funneling them money?

Institution a tax voucher program is the only way to break the control of teachers unions and the government in general.

People often complain about their children not being taught their values such as Intelligent design and abstinence only.  With a voucher program that give parents back say 70% of the money that would have been spent on the child at a government school, educational freedom can be more readily exercised.  The reason I say 70% is to cover overhead costs at the school that were necesarily spent to the individual students benefit.

Today that freedom is only open to those who have the economic means to pay both thier school taxes and tuition at a private school.  Parents will literally get to choose what kind of education their children receive.

It will also break the hold of teachers unions by forcing public school to improve in order to keep the cash flow coming.

Home schooling should also be an option to voucher users.  Home schooling has proven to provide quality educations at cheaper costs.  Some worry about social interactions but that can handled by either joining with other home schooling parents in the area or ensuring your children have many after school activities.

This is a win-win solution to he debates about the problems are public schools, lets hope those in charge see this as well.

Posted by Andrew Erbell on May 7, 2009 - 10:43am
Home schooling? Isn't that a red flag in the latest Dept of Homeland Security Notice?
Posted by Peter O'Brien on May 7, 2009 - 10:56am
Nice!

Yeah I trust an organization that is led by someone who calls terrorism man made disasters
Posted by C. M. Barons on May 7, 2009 - 11:06am
There is little fair or reasonable about school taxes.

I have no children, yet I pay the same taxes as a family of 8 living in a home with like assessment. Peter mentions a voucher; I should get a rebate!

I am all in favor of preserving a well-educated citizenry, but the method to determine my fair share in that civic duty needs to be fixed.

#1 There is no connection between the value of my real estate and my fair share of taxes.
#2 Getting rid of the burocracy that manages real property tax would be a savings.
Posted by Kelly Hansen on May 8, 2009 - 7:46am
And many of us choose to send our children to a private school (where the total budget is around 400k/year to run the entire school) and pay the continually increasing school taxes. It costs just over 3k per student to be educated at Holy Family School in LeRoy.

Fact: Catholic schools save the taxpayer 19.8 billion dollars a year

What about the kids in the District of Columbia where the education is the worst in the U.S.? Many kids who wouldn't have had a chance have had vouchers thanks to the previous administration. Pres. Obama has been pressured to compromise and allow the current children to receive the vouchers but no new children will be admitted to the program and as they graduate, the program discontinued. To heck with the future and those children, I suppose. By the way, these kids are all from lower-income families. And the vouchers are only 7k per student instead of the 14k it costs to 'educate' a D.C. student in public schools.

We are dooming many of our children in the U.S. because of the self-serving unions who fight even that people who choose private school receive a small tax deduction for the tuition they pay. Our local schools are doing a good job educating the child but what about the millions of kids who can't even read at their own grade level?

Think about it: It is cheaper to give a voucher (much less money than public school) to a family who chooses to give their child a private school education than to educate them in the public school system.

This tax credit pays.

By the way, unlike public schools, private schools and teachers are held accountable for the results they bear.
Posted by Peter O'Brien on May 8, 2009 - 9:27am
In case no one saw it today in the D and C, they proposed spending 699 million dollars this year. Thats over 21 thousand per student.