Vouchers: Constitutional, but bad public policy

[Mike Friedman <mikedf@xxxxxxxx>]

June 27, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM RETHINKING SCHOOLS
Contact:
Bob Peterson: 414-964-9646; 414-265-6217. repmilw@xxxxxxx
Stan Karp, 973-783-5381; StanKarp@xxxxxxx
Stephanie Walters, 414-906-4766; StephWalters69@xxxxxxxxxxx

Vouchers: Constitutional, but bad public policy

Following is a statement released Thursday June 27, 2002 by the editors
of Rethinking Schools, on the U.S. Supreme Court decision that the
Cleveland voucher program passes constitutional muster. Rethinking
Schools is an independent education newspaper in Milwaukee that has been
covering the voucher controversy for more than a decade.

Today is a sad day for public education.
While the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that school vouchers may be legal,
they remain bad public policy. There are three key reasons: private
schools lack accountability, private schools do not have to serve all
students, and private school vouchers divert attention and resources from
proven reforms that can improve our public schools.
In Milwaukee, where the country's largest voucher program has been
operating for more than ten years, taxpayers have spent more than $140
million on private education. These voucher schools lack the most basic
accountability measures: No academic data have been collected from
voucher schools for more than six years. As a result, no one knows how
students in voucher schools are performing academically. The schools are
not required to hire certified teachers, to acquire certification, or
disclose their attendance, suspension or dropout rates.

Furthermore, voucher schools don't have to provide the same level of
services for special education students or students who don't speak
English. Because constitutional rights such as free speech and due
process are not applicable in private schools, voucher schools can
suspend or expel students at will. Nor do the Milwaukee voucher schools
have to abide by state laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of
pregnancy, marital status or sexual orientation.

We fear that the court's decision will open a floodgate of battles for
voucher programs at the state level, diverting critical resources and
energy from the public schools just when they need our attention the
most.

Instead of vouchers, we should focus on much-needed -- and proven --
reforms such as smaller class sizes, increased early childhood education,
improved teacher training and support, and adequate funding of all
schools. Those committed to public education will continue the fight for
these reforms.

Vouchers have been a bedrock of the conservative agenda to privatize our
schools and transform education into yet another individual consumer
item. This conservative agenda is at odds with this country's
long-standing belief that public education is a cornerstone of our vision
of a more democratic America, where public institutions are responsible
to, and controlled by, the public.

Today's ruling is not surprising from a court that rode roughshod over
the U.S. Constitution in order to install George W. Bush as President.
While today's ruling is a severe set-back for public education, it will
not silence the voices of those committed to democracy and quality public
schools for all.

Founded by classroom teachers in 1986, Rethinking Schools Ltd. has been
covering the voucher controversy for more than a decade. A non-profit,
independent publisher of materials on education, Rethinking Schools is
based in Milwaukee, home of the largest and oldest voucher program in the
country.

For more information on vouchers, visit Rethinking Schools Online at
www.rethinkingschools.org, or go directly to our voucher section at:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/SpecPub/voucher.htm






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