In the debate over vouchers, proponents emphasize the element of choice, a patriotic-sounding buzzword used successfully to promote other controversial notions. Supporters argue that by providing financial assistance, families who could not otherwise afford to send their kids to a private school would now be able to do so.



Great in theory, but the fact of the matter is that vouchers will do nothing to help poor or even middle class families
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And this is the sole reason why anyone who has ever spun pro-voucher ideology as 'school choice' is being disingenuous. Most families, like mine for instance, don't have a choice. Debate over vouchers, please. Debate is good, necessary. But don't make it sound as if the private school choice never existed before, and now it does, and the anti-voucher people want to rob you of that. If you are wealthy, the choice has always been there; if you're not, it still won't be.

leftintheuc wrote:

And this is the sole reason why anyone who has ever spun pro-voucher ideology as 'school choice' is being disingenuous. Most families, like mine for instance, don't have a choice. Debate over vouchers, please. Debate is good, necessary. But don't make it sound as if the private school choice never existed before, and now it does, and the anti-voucher people want to rob you of that. If you are wealthy, the choice has always been there; if you're not, it still won't be.


Private schools don't cost as much as I thought. With a voucher, there are many more people who could afford to go:

http://www.stjosephutah.com/Tuition_Policy_&_Fee_Schedule%5B1%5D.pdf
http://www.sllhs.org/Registration/07-08/Application-DISTANCELEARNING2007-08.pdf


Here is a pricy one:
http://www.waterfordschool.org/admissions/tuition.htm


Feel free to check them out:
http://www.onlineutah.com/privateschools.shtml

With a 2000 voucher, it would cost about 2-3000 dollars out of pocket to attend a private school with many of their tuition rates.

unaffiliated_person wrote:

With a 2000 voucher, it would cost about 2-3000 dollars out of pocket to attend a private school with many of their tuition rates.


This is my point: This is still at least a couple hundred bucks per month per child.

leftintheuc wrote:

And this is the sole reason why anyone who has ever spun pro-voucher ideology as 'school choice' is being disingenuous. Most families, like mine for instance, don't have a choice. Debate over vouchers, please. Debate is good, necessary. But don't make it sound as if the private school choice never existed before, and now it does, and the anti-voucher people want to rob you of that. If you are wealthy, the choice has always been there; if you're not, it still won't be.
Well stated. You and I disagree on many things, but fairness in education is essential to our country's success in the future. Wealth already has the advantage.

All this will do is dilute our school population more and more, until the haves will live in a world totally unavailable to the have nots.

I would not choose a private school based on the fact that most of them pay their teachers less and lie to the rich folks on the hill that they provide a quality education. How is that? Quit a better paying job teaching, so that you can take a lower paying job teaching? Observation has shown me that the leftover teachers teach in these private institutions and in charter schools. it is disheartening to see the effort to make education a rich class perk.

Mariner wrote:

leftintheuc wrote:

And this is the sole reason why anyone who has ever spun pro-voucher ideology as 'school choice' is being disingenuous. Most families, like mine for instance, don't have a choice. Debate over vouchers, please. Debate is good, necessary. But don't make it sound as if the private school choice never existed before, and now it does, and the anti-voucher people want to rob you of that. If you are wealthy, the choice has always been there; if you're not, it still won't be.
Well stated. You and I disagree on many things, but fairness in education is essential to our country's success in the future. Wealth already has the advantage.

All this will do is dilute our school population more and more, until the haves will live in a world totally unavailable to the have nots.

I would not choose a private school based on the fact that most of them pay their teachers less and lie to the rich folks on the hill that they provide a quality education. How is that? Quit a better paying job teaching, so that you can take a lower paying job teaching? Observation has shown me that the leftover teachers teach in these private institutions and in charter schools. it is disheartening to see the effort to make education a rich class perk.


Some teachers prefer to teach at private schools because they have more motivated and self-disciplined students. For some, not having to deal with the public school crap (and delinquents) is "worth" making less money.