School Vouchers

Americans value a good education. We realize that education is the key to getting a better job, increasing our wages, and improving our lives. We also know that a good education gives our children an advantage when they grow up. Unfortunately the public school system in America has become inefficient, unaccountable, and large in size. Total federal, state, and local spending for education passed the $400 billion a year mark in the last few years. On average, public schools now spend close to $7,000 per student per year. In some inner-city public schools districts, such as Hartford, Connecticut, Washington D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland an annual outlay of about $9,000 per pupil is not enough as schools in those areas are falling apart. America spends more money per student than any nation on earth. Yet academic achievement scores have not improved. In fact, over the past 20 years, scores have remained flat and American students are lagging behind most of their international peers on worldwide math and science tests. If you don't believe American public schools are this bad, then watch this.

Liberalism's solution for falling education standards is more money. When education policy is discussed liberals will always emphasize their talking point that our public schools are under-funded and more tax money is needed to fix the problem. In simplistic terms this is a popular stance. Of course Americans will support spending more money on education because it is commonly believed that spending more money will make the public schools better. But if more money is the solution why are American public schools so bad?

America is in this situation because we have allowed the public school system to become unaccountable and wasteful. Teacher unions demand higher and higher salaries, but oppose any kind of performance-based solutions that are emphasized overseas. Today, the vast majority of children are simply assigned to a public school, and have little choice in the matter. If you happen to live near a good school, that is ok, but many students, especially inner-city children, are forced to attend failing schools.

In order to improve that quality of education, choice and competition should be introduced into the system through the use of school vouchers. School vouchers redirect the flow of education funding, channeling it directly to individual families rather than to school districts. Vouchers can be funded and administered by the government, by private organizations, or by some combination of both. Once a school voucher is dispersed the parents can choose to send their child to the public and private school of their choice. Parental choice and competition between schools will improve education for all children because schools will have to compete for funding. If the school does not perform, it will not survive as children flock to other schools.

Teacher's unions oppose vouchers because fewer public school students would mean a need for fewer public school teachers, fewer union jobs, and performance-based accountability. While teacher's unions will oppose all efforts to introduce competition into America's educational system, individual teachers should welcome competition. If you are a good teacher you will be able to command a higher salary because parents will gladly pay more for your services.

Many view vouchers as a radical plan. Most Americans are used to sending their children to public school and there is an inherent skepticism about managing a child's education because many feel they are unable to make these important decisions. They believe they should defer to local government bureaucrats with more "experience." However, it is these same bureaucrats that have made our public schools so bad today. Radical change is needed, and quickly, before American public schools become even worse.

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~ The Conservative Guy