The details of the Texas voucher plan were released, and the politicians pushing it can’t wait to siphon money away from the state’s underfunded public schools. They show no remorse for cutting $5 billion from the public schools in 2011, and now they are back looking for ways to drain even more money away from the public schools that enroll about 90% of the children in the state.
As a graduate of the Houston public schools (San Jacinto High School, class of 1956), I resent that these men are tearing down their community’s public schools. They claim they want to “save poor kids from failing schools,” but the schools aren’t failing: the politicians are failing the schools. Poor kids can’t learn when they don’t have access to decent medical care, when they don’t have enough to eat, when they are deprived of necessities that advantaged families take for granted. Poor kids will learn better if they have smaller class sizes, experienced teachers, and a full curriculum instead of incessant testing. By cutting funding and sending it to religious schools, the Texas legislators will guarantee larger classes and a stripped-down curriculum. Furthermore, while they won’t pay for what kids need, they have set aside millions for the inexperienced temps called Teach for America, most of whom will disappear after two years.
I am proud to be a native Texan, but I am not proud of the men who are destroying the public schools that educated me and my family and made it possible for me to go to a good college.
If I were in Austin, I would say to State Senator Larry Taylor and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick that vouchers and tax credits (backdoor vouchers) hurt the great majority of children who attend public schools. I would say to them that they should take a trip to Milwaukee, which has had vouchers for 25 years, and is one of the lowest scoring cities on the NAEP federal tests. I would tell them that poor black children in Milwaukee are doing worse in voucher schools than they were in public schools. I would tell them they are cheating the children of Texas, to placate their ideology and their pals in the corporate world.
I would tell them to hang their heads in shame.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
What of the separation of church and state? How does this not come into play where vouchers are being used for religious schools? Lawsuit?
Donna,
Courts are looking the other way. Many states have explicit prohitions on using public money for religious schools. Waiting for a lawsuit
“Public money”? You do mean the money that You and I pay in taxes? That is our money and we should be able to spend it on whichever school gives our children the best education. If a portion of my tax dollars goes to funding my child’s education and I choose a private school for that, then shouldn’t that portion of my taxes fund my child’s education?
Sorry, Jay, you don’t get to take back the money you pay in taxes to support public education and use it for private schools. That is not the American way. Suppose you don’t use the public library? Should you get your tax payment back so you can buy books? Suppose you don’t use the public parks or beaches? Should you get the money back to improve your backyard? Suppose you are a pacifist, can you get your tax dollars back and not pay for foreign wars? I don’t think so.
Nevada is now considering the same type of vouchers in this post. The governor’s spokespeople and supporters even specifically mention the Catholic schools that will be able to expand….I am sure they will have something else to say when the Baptists and the Muslims open their schools….I believe our ACLU will be waiting to file a lawsuit here. They do not care how much they are hated, they charge forward anyway.(The ACLU, that is.)
The Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue:
Click to access 09-987.pdf
Dr. Ravitch, here is information on new “ACE” schools initiative in Dallas ISD. The teachers will have chance for “up to” $12,000 bonus, based on test scores. Yes, the Dallas ISD has added 4 weeks of ACP (district testing) to evaluate and pay teachers based on Mike Miles new Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI). Students will have longer schools day and more homework. Parents will be required to sign contracts for children to attend these neighborhood schools. May be worth a posting on your blog.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150402-dallas-isd-launches-effort-to-improve-six-struggling-schools.ece
http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2015/04/mike-miles-promises-significant-academic-gains-in-ace-schools-by-december.html/
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20150410-editorial-disd-is-smart-to-stoke-low-performing-schools-with-top-talent.ece
http://www.disdblog.com/2015/04/12/why-i-wouldnt-transfer-to-a-disd-ace-school/
http://www.disdblog.com/2015/04/04/disds-ace-schools-kick-weak-kids-in-the-teeth/
https://thehub.dallasisd.org/2015/02/19/district-serves-up-draft-ace-plan-to-help-lowest-performing-schools/
Dr. Ravitch, here is information on new “ACE” schools initiative in Dallas ISD. The teachers will have chance for “up to” $12,000 bonus, based on test scores. Yes, the Dallas ISD has added 4 weeks of ACP (district testing) to evaluate teachers based on Mike Miles new Teacher Excellence Initiative (TEI). Students will have longer schools day and more homework. Parents will be required to sign contracts for children to attend these neighborhood schools. May be worth a posting on your blog.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20150402-dallas-isd-launches-effort-to-improve-six-struggling-schools.ece
http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2015/04/mike-miles-promises-significant-academic-gains-in-ace-schools-by-december.html/
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20150410-editorial-disd-is-smart-to-stoke-low-performing-schools-with-top-talent.ece
http://www.disdblog.com/2015/04/12/why-i-wouldnt-transfer-to-a-disd-ace-school/
http://www.disdblog.com/2015/04/04/disds-ace-schools-kick-weak-kids-in-the-teeth/
https://thehub.dallasisd.org/2015/02/19/district-serves-up-draft-ace-plan-to-help-lowest-performing-schools/
Once you redefine “public” to mean “publicly-funded” vouchers are inevitable.
It’s funny, because voucher aren’t popular in Ohio despite a big marketing campaign by lobbyists and the politicians they bought.
Sitting here thinking about your observation. Does that mean I can look forward to paying for the system of sewers and water supply to my home, and then a voucher to cover a use cost.? The public pays for a lot of infrastructure not directly used by every citizen. Should the court system be truncated to accommodate only those who use it, and with an explicit itemized fee for every service?
For free market education, there can be no doubt that vouchers and the illusion of customer choice are the preferred instruments for education, and with as little regulation as possible.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
I cannot stop laughing! Please cite my fabulousness for finding this gem!:) ba ha ha!
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/an-ex-teacher-made-a-video-game-that-skewers-the-no-child-left-behind-act
The purpose of vouchers is to kill a public trust by infecting it with market pathologies.
Vouchers will require massive investments in advertising, and tiers of services some of these for an extra cost. Think platinum, gold, silver, bronze, and so on just like credit cards.
This is absolutely horrifying. I’d like to see any number of these politicians attempt to lead the life of an under-fed, underprivileged child in the school system they are destroying. Considering that the church and state are meant to be separate, I’m surprised the courts have been able to look the other way for so long. I hope this problem subsides soon, at least in Texas…
Can you write Gov. Greg Abbott about this?