May 6, 2023
Milton Friedman, Noble Prize winner in Economics, first proposed the concept of school vouchers in 1962. He felt the program would create a competitive environment between public and private schools, and thus raise the quality of education in the US. Other economists have added the concept of “Acquiring Human Capital” to the school voucher discussion. High quality education builds human capital which leads to employment, income and wealth. It is that simple.
School vouchers provide state funding to parents so they can choose which schools their children attend, public or private. The money follows the child.
Regrettably, many public schools have poor ratings, especially in our large cities. Baltimore currently has 23 city schools with 0 students passing the math proficiency test. Parents from those schools could send their kids to private schools using the school vouchers. Parents have a choice. Private schools often, but not always, record better student achievement. The reasons are the admissions policy, and the discipline process. Disruptive students are kicked out. Not so in public schools! Ugh!
It is true that better students, the cream, often leave the underperforming public schools. The parents realize the importance of education and they have a choice!
Lastly, low income and minority families are most impacted by school vouchers. Most states target this group to help those children get a better education. Vouchers are paid in higher amounts to low-income families. This is very similar to the Federal Pell Grants for college, currently at $7,400 per year. Most of the Pell grants go to minority and low-income families.
I support the school voucher programs. Give parents a choice.
High Truths and Low Lies 