So, school is back in session and maybe we should talk about this. It is our duty to educate our kids. In a lot of places, this takes the form of sending them off to the public schools that we all fund, and hope for the best. The problem with that approach is that in lots of places, public education is still in the toilet. Yet, we spend a lot of money on it.
My solution is simple. Each student gets a voucher at the end of the school year. That student can take that voucher and spend it on whichever school he or she wants to attend. Public, private, charter, it doesn't matter. Let schools compete for the tax dollar, rather than just doling it out.
If a public school principal looks up in mid-June and doesn't have any vouchers, then that school will close. It has no money. If the school across town has a whole bunch of vouchers, then that principal can hire a bunch of teachers.
It makes no sense to subsidize a failing school. Subsidize measurable success.
5 comments:
I understand and to a point, agree with your position. But I think that there are more complexities to this situation than this simple formula can address. Let's say that Alexandria has (for simplicity's sake) two high schools with 2000 students at each school. Each school is operating at 95% of capacity. School A has a great system and the kids are not only doing well, but they love their teachers and classes. School B is a train wreck. The next year, 600 student from school B exercise their voucher option to transfer to school A.
School A suddenly finds itself way over capacity and has to quickly acquire not only more teachers, but also more janitors, another SRO AND more classroom space that it doesn't have. Requiring immediate acquisition of temporary classroom space and perhaps plans for future capital investment and expansion of the building. WAY outside of the voucher values added to their budget as the rate was based on a static situation.
What happens then?
And how does the AHJ recoup its sizeable investment in the soon to be closed, failing school?
My only point being that sometimes the simple solution appeals on its face, but that there are often attendant complexities that color the big picture that the initial "solution", however attractive at the outset, doesn't really address. The gray area is always a pain in the rear end.
Pure democracy - such as a population of students able to vote with their feet and valuable vouchers - sounds great. But someone needs to be in charge and manage things to prevent chaos. Devils and details...
I'd vote for that!
juvat
I appreciate how these bloggers share their personal journeys and experiences, making it feel like a supportive community that encourages positive change.
promocodehq
You work for a teachers union, don't you?
Very telling response here folks (not to single you out, DaveS). This thought process, this way of thinking, is one of the reasons we are in the spot we are in. Look at the over-arching message - you need an expert to tell you how to do things.
You aren't smart enough, qualified enough, educated or knowledgeable enough to possibly pull something like this off. You need a phalanx of mid level managers to massage and manipulate things for you. I just happen to be that guy... you see _I_ know best, not you.
Nevermind the fact that humans have existed and advanced our societies for eons, we're just completely incapable today.
Same argument pervades gun control - you aren't capable. Pass that responsibility to someone else. Those 2 affects result from this cowardly line of thinking.
Stand up for yourself amd get a spine you coward! Stop asking other people to do the hard work for you, get off your ass and do it yourself!
Actually, I’m not the guy you think I am, Anonymous. I’m a proponent of private schools and home schooling. I don’t think that government should be involved in schooling at all.
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