Bruce Baker, an expert on school finance at Rutgers University, dissects a proposal for vouchers (“education savings accounts”) offered by the Manhattan Institute, a rightwing think tank. Writing for the National Education Policy Center, he concludes that the proposal was poorly thought out and loaded with negative consequences.
He wrote:
The Manhattan Institute’s report promotes Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) by demonstrating that taxpayer expense would fall if the program motivated families to move children from public schools funded by the state to private schools funded primarily by families. However, the report conveniently fails to note a large body of recent, rigorous research demonstrating that similar private school choice, or “voucher,” programs have had significant negative effects on student outcomes. In addition, the report overstates short-term reductions that local districts can achieve, and it sidesteps potential long-term harm to adequate funding for them. Thus, the report provides little or no useful guidance on the broader question of whether an ESA policy is desirable or would be good policy for New York State’s children or taxpayers.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Negative student outcomes are just collateral damage for corporate interests and the stink tanks that promote big business. The lives/lived experience of children, senior citizens and the infirm don’t matter in a market based society. We are likely at end stage capitalism. It’s not looking pretty for true Democracy and that scares me.
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Good enough training for Prole children!
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end stage capitalism part of the reason fascism is getting such a foothold?
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Bruce Baker does a ton of solid research on school finance–especially funding equity. Great find!
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This proposal is Jeb Bush poison finding its way to New York. These ESAs would be used by affluent parents to supplement pricey private schools parents already pay for while it undermines the schools that the working class and poor attend. It would widen the divide between the “haves” and “have nots.”
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Baker’s criticism of the plan being heralded as cost savings is justified. We already know about the down sides from states that have already implemented ESAs. ELLs will be left behind in potentially underfunded public schools trying to cope with stranded costs and and the same is true forl students that are severely impaired. I didn’t see where Baker analyzed the impact of affluent families with already privately enrolled children that use the the ESAs to supplement pricey private school tuition. We know from other ESA programs that a large percentage of ESAs go to these families while public schools lose a lot money while still serving the most vulnerable students.
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After the Repugnicans win the House and Senate in 2022 and DeSantis becomes president in 2024, look for a national voucher bill–the most sweeping change in American education since the creation of public schools. Coming soon to what was formerly thought of, in some circles, as a democracy.
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One can hope that at some point there is uniform recognition among public education’s defenders that academic results and cost saving verbiage are purposeful distractions.
The ed reformers desired model is the Kamloops residential school in Canada. Government abdicated its role to the colonialist religious.
Why there is no red flag when a religious sect is the nation’s 3rd largest employer as a result of public policy that gives tax dollars to the religious is testament to the obfuscation skills of libertarians.
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