by Dorothy Hoffman

Created on: October 11, 2009

The public education system in the United States has been in trouble for decades, particularly in our nation's cities. In many ways, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation of the Bush years have made things worse. It creates incentives for schools to eliminate special education programs and force out less academically gifted students, to raise the school's test scores. Faculty are also encouraged to teach to the high-stakes standardized tests, rather than educate their students. Higher scores translate into more funds and financial rewards for teachers and principals, taking desperately needed money away from the very schools most in need of help.

Like the quantitative results-oriented approach to education of NCLB, the voucher programs that began during the Reagan administration are another sign of the trend toward privatization of many basic services and institutions once regarded as part of our government's responsibility to all citizens. Advocates of voucher programs argue that schools will improve if they are left to the tender mercies of the free market, but the record of charter schools and private schools has been no better than that of public schools.

Federal, state and local budgets for public schools are already limited, and taking money away from them to subsidize attendance at private schools only further weakens the system without enabling many families to send their children to private schools. Private school tuitions tend to rise with greater demand, and many are well beyond the means of people with modest incomes even with vouchers. Typical voucher programs offer $2500-$5000, but many privates schools charge annual tuitions of $10,000 or more. A National Conference of State Legislatures survey found that 76% of voucher funds in Arizona went to families of children already attending private schools. This amounts to a taxpayer funded subsidy of wealthier families at the expense of those stuck in deteriorating inner city public schools.

In addition, many regard government subsidizing of private school tuitions as unconstitutional; since the majority of these schools are religious-based, government support violates the separation of church and state. Some opponents claim voucher programs amount to taxation without representation - private schools have no mechanisms of public accountability, though the taxpayer is covering the costs of tuition vouchers. Public schools are answerable to elected school boards, whose meeting are open to the public,

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