2/28/2006

Vouchers Only a Vehicle for Total Privatization

Voucher Veneer: The Deeper Agenda to Privatize Public Education





The following quote provide an insight into the true objective
of school choice vouchers.

"A network of Religious Right groups, free-market economists, ultraconservative columnists and others are using vouchers as a vehicle to achieve their ultimate goal of privatizing education."

"The Heartland Institute’s Joseph Bast has urged others who share his group’s extreme agenda to be patient. “The complete privatization of schooling might be desirable, but this objective is politically impossible for the time being. Vouchers are a type of reform that is possible now, and would put us on the path to further privatization.”"

"In fact, the CATO Institute’s David Salisbury recently argued that private schools’ ability to disregard state standards is “the very basis for school choice.”"


"In a national poll this year, Americans chose “reforming the existing public school system” over “finding an alternative” to the current system by a 69-to-27 percent margin."

Even the "Alliance for the Seperation of School and State" admits that currently
only 25% of the public agrees with their position demolish the current system of
tax funded education. But they are trying to grow that number, and OTBL is in their army to help.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know in Wisconsin the Milwuakee public school district has an allotment of vouchers that goes to families and Gov. Doyle, I believe, is expanding the number of vouchers available in the Milwuakee district. Apparently there must be a number of private schools with open classrooms in that city.

How would vouchers work in districts like Hudson or New Richmond? I know there are private elementary schools, but I don't believe there are too many private high schools. Hill-Murray maybe the closest. The cost of HM for high school is in the $8500 to $9500 annual range. This is in the current range of cost per student in the local districts.

Would allowing vouchers in local school districts create the local economic cash flow needed to support a private high school in the area? If so, would this be good or bad for the local school systems.

Anonymous said...

Just as a clarification question. If there were a voucher system in place, what would that mean for privat schools? Would they then be considered public, and fall under the restrictions (regulations)of a public school?

Anonymous said...

You would think that private schools which would then become quasi-public schools would need to be under the same type of expectations as a public school. On are we to assume that because it's "private" the product would be superior?

Anonymous said...

So who will be educating the special
education kids and the kids with disabilities? Will private schools be calmoring to enroll them when they require so many more resources. Remember what our "friends" on the dark side of the border say. "The only moral obligation of a private business is to make a profit". T

Thankfully the private schools in Hudson who are associated with local churches haven't adopted that philosophy nor would we expect them to. But what about the "market force" schools that might be created?
And don't forget, as the article referred to in this post state. Advocates of vouchers see this is a first step in total privatization of
education.