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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Grainne who wrote (102663)	5/1/2005 3:20:08 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

I have two primary concerns about using tax dollars for vouchers for private schools. The first is that this weakens public schools even further. Injecting competition may strengthen public schools. It will force some to improve, and cause the weakest to go away leaving the average school stronger. I do see some point that the transition might be rough, and also it might not be quick. The second is that the most vulnerable students in public schools come from families with significant problems like extremely poverty, alcoholism and drug addiction. I think the parents in these families are often incapable of advocating for their children's education. So they wouldn't be fighting to get them into voucher programs. Vulnerable students with extreme family problems are for the most part going to have more problems with education under any system. I don't see how vouchers would make their problems worse. To the extent that it forced the current public schools to improve in order to compete it might help out even the most vulnerable. This is where I would rather put energy, because I don't think voucher programs really address social change the way we will need to in order to turn this mess around. If other social changes, are possible, desirable, reasonable, and constitutional, I don't see how vouchers prevent them. To answer in a more detailed fashion I would need some details about the proposed changes. Tim