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Politics : Al Gore vs George Bush: the moderate's perspective -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (3400)	10/22/2000 8:54:41 PM
From: fuzzymath	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10042

Vouchers plus substantially increased education spending in the districts that need it. Distribute the federal spending based on the need of the individual districts. I think we have a bipartisan program here, X. Your schools clearly need additional funds. They should be provided, in my opinion. Then your two disadvantaged schools would be able to offer more to encourage students to stay. One advantage, if too many students left, would be smaller class sizes and uncrowded facilities. I think a balance would be struck, just as occurs with competing companies. That's the idea behind school choice and vouchers. With your good schools not allowed to turn down students, parents would have to balance crowded classes at the magnate schools versus more personal attention at the other schools. I think that's part of the problem in your district -- your magnate schools have the right to reject students, which means that you don't really have an egalitarian system. You have some elite schools and some needy schools. Force the magnate schools to take anyone who wants to come, and the needy schools have an immediate advantage: small class size, more personal attention, less crowded facilities. Exclusiveness (lotteries, etc.) cannot be a part of school choice and vouchers. If you have that, then you defeat the core reason why choice/vouchers can be good. No space at the magnate schools? Well, then, they should put the kids up in the gym. Somewhere, a balance between your schools will be found, and even the disadvantaged schools will find that they offer something special too, namely more individualized attention to a smaller group of children. But there has to be strong commitment by the Government to make all schools good. I agree. I just want excellence to be highly rewarded among teachers and administrators. Now, that's not the case -- you can be a great teacher or a lousy teacher who's just waiting for retirement, and your pay is the same. That's not fair -- not fair to good teachers, not fair to students, not fair to parents who pay the bills, not fair to our nation. Kevin