Mercedes Schneider tries a thought experiment. Is it possible to create a universal education voucher that is “seamless” and reduces the role of government?
Imagine a state with one million students, each given a sum of money to spend on their education. Simple, right?
Wrong.
As she demonstrates, such a program will require a massive bureaucracy to administer. Unless the public doesn’t care where the money goes, whether it was wasted or stolen.
She begins:
The idea of taxpayer funding for K12 education following the student– “funding portability”– is not new. Following the COVID pandemic and the closing of schools (or following a virtual model that taxed family functioning and internet capabilities) has contributed to a rise in public willingness to consider funding portability. Conservative organizations like the Reason Foundation are ready to offer suggestions on how to institute universal funding portability “and ensure funds flow seamlessly across district boundaries.”
As I read the Reason article linked above, my first thought was on how it would require a monstrous bureaucracy to administer and track funding sent directly to the parents/guardians of each student. This cannot be understated. Consider the mess it would be, say, if the funding went to an old bank account, or wrong bank account. Consider the bureaucratic mess it would present if a child transferred schools at an inconvenient time. So many bank accounts to keep straight. So many payments or partial payments to track to parent from state, or from parent to correct school. Not just any school– the school at which student attendance has been verified.
Now think of this on the level of hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of students.
In order for the transfer of funds to proceed “seamlessly” (Reason’s word), it would entail rules and guidelines, and accountability departments and scheduled, incremental payments, and stop-payment procedures for the school the student no longer attended. It would mean an established appeals process when money was sent to the wrong school, or in the name of the wrong child even in the same household (say, if several children attend different schools, even in different counties or states).
I haven’t even mentioned the bureaucracy needed to to both combat and confront acts of fraud committed by those disbursing and receiving funds.
Universal funding portability would also mean school and district budgets being thrown into chaos because money supposed to arrive one child at a time doesn’t just show up like idyllic magic.
None of this is smooth, and none of this is easy, and none of this is wondrously seamless.
Please open the link and read on.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Another great catch by Mercedes.
The perps supporting this scam idea should be called the Lack of Reason Foundation.
It’s a planned disaster on par (paradoxically) with Mao’s Cultural Revolution. They’re hoping for their own Great Leap Forward.
Of course, there’s a black hole of internal logic to the entire conservative edifice these days….a seeming sand castle along the surf.
To wit: the apparent leader and paragon of virtue (not!) for the holier than thou crowd, Monsieur Trump, who might be on his way to court for his alleged hush money payments, among other travesties.
Thank God I’m not living that sort of phony life.
As David Byrne said, “I wouldn’t live like that, no siree”
Good points. Of course, no crusader for vouchers ever cared about fraud, or the stuff we see with regards to charters would not exist.
P.S. Though some of them are trying real hard to make us.
From sourcewatchdot0rg: Ties to the Koch Brothers
David Koch (since deceased) was a trustee of the Foundation.[10] Between 1985 and 2015, Reason received $857,000 from the Claude R. Lambe Foundation, $344,528 from the Charles G. Koch Foundation and $1,522,212 from the David H. Koch Foundation.
As of February 2020, Charles Koch Institute listed the Reason Foundation as a “participating organization” on its website.[11]
The Reason Foundation has shown support for private prisons as part of the Kochs’ Criminal Justice Reform plan,[12]has partnered with “National School Choice Week”,[13] produced “numerous reports saying foreclosures should not be stopped”,[14] and has supported dismantling public sector unions.[15]
A 2020 Center for Media and Democracy investigation reported on billionaire money behind media operations favorable to right-wing ideology, including the Reason Foundation. The piece noted, “For decades, Charles Koch has been committed to radically changing American society into a libertarian paradise, free from taxes and regulations, in which the wealthiest oligarchs, like himself, can destroy the environment, exploit their workers, and reap astonishing profits… Koch’s strategy has been a wild success, but it may not have been as effective without another avenue of influence: favorable media.”[16] END QUOTE
Libertarianism is a con, a scam and a fraud. It’s just a cover and facade for greed and unbridled Kochism.
Title for a journalist’s article, “Right wing Catholic legislators in red central states champion a package of laws, vouchers, anti-abortion, anti-woman and anti-trans- how many are backed by Koch?”
What you point out is the Achilles heel of Democratic, let’s call it, strategy. Fascists bundle issues, if you support one, you support others that have nothing to do with it. In my view the only way to make public education a viable national issue is develop issue-oriented politics that bring together their constituencies on simply understood messages. I’ve posted this quote from a Jack Brooks bio before, but it sums this up as well as anything I’ve ever read:
It’s easier for the GQP to implement the plan because they have far more bad people to tap. They seek out the moneyed interests – gun manufactures, Wall Streeters who exploit the poor, etc. Then, they capitalize on the power- hungry, misogynists of the right wing Catholic Church.
On the Democratic side, to achieve issue packaging, there will have to be a different process but, well worth the effort.
I don’t think MAGA RINO Republicans will have any problem giving away public money to already wealthy frauds with no strings attached, since their Dear Leader Traitor Trump is a serial liar and a lifelong crook and they still worship him.
Not to mention the millions of citizens who would have no idea how to access the funds. This would simply be another subsidy for wealthy families.
Where’s the journalist willing to write the story to accompany this question?
“How much has the Catholic church and its affiliated organizations spent lobbying for school choice? Was/Is the Koch network a source of money for the state Catholic Conferences?”
As an interesting exercise, type Catholic church and see if it is corrected to
Catholic Church. Then, try Methodist church and recognize that it isn’t changed.