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Bill Bosher
Richmond Times Dispatch
(Reprinted with Permission)
February 13, 2000
Schooling Options
In 1955, Milton Friedman suggested that taxes should be returned
to parents so they might choose educational options for their
children. Whether in the form of tuition tax credits or vouchers,
such mechanisms would introduce competition to a market historically
controlled by the public sector.
Few educational topics have generated more heated debate.
Advocates are portrayed as anti-public school and opponents
are painted as apologists protecting the status quo. These
camps frequently are described as those who are for and those
who are against school choice. Perhaps the issue is more complex.
Political oversimplification portrays school choice and voucher/tuition-tax-credit
plans as inseparable concepts. In reality, the heart of this
debate is not about educational choices, but about who will
pay.
The specialty centers in Henrico and Chesterfield and the
Governor’s Schools in Richmond and Petersburg provide new
and exciting choices for young people and their families.
These options do not limit students to traditional attendance
boundaries. While these are public options, the unresolved
issue for Virginians is whether returned or foregone taxes
should be used for private educational choices. As the General
Assembly considers proposals to develop policy in this arena,
some issues warrant further analysis.
The Common Good: The Virginia Constitution provides that
“the General Assembly shall provide for a system of free
public elementary and secondary schools for all children of
school age throughout the Commonwealth, and shall seek to
ensure that an educational program of high quality is established
and continually maintained.” There is no reference to
establishing, maintaining, funding, or regulating any other
system.
There is also no suppression of a free market. Parents may
choose the form and substance of their children’s education.
The public system is an investment in a common good--the education
of the masses. Public safety, libraries, parks, and roads
similarly can be viewed as common goods. If you never chose
to go to a library, should you get a voucher for AOL services?
If you never use a public park or athletic facility, should
you get a tax credit for YMCA or Family Fitness Center membership?
Regressive Qualities: Private education is not cheap. The
annual tuition rate for private schools in the Richmond area
typically exceeds the per-pupil cost in a public school. Who
pays the difference between a voucher to a private school
and the cost of tuition? Scholarships may help, but for whom
is this assistance provided? Would credits and vouchers truly
permit families to choose, or would they simply “reimburse”
those who have already made choices?
Would poor kids from the inner city gain access to new educational
choices? Will private school tuition increase if some families
must subsidize others? Will private school admissions offices
be forced to test for both the quality and cost of a student?
Will a “wallet biopsy” become a part of the screening
procedure for a private education?
Public/Private Entanglement: Many private-school educators
question the wisdom of tax credits and vouchers. Will parental
tax relief bring new “strings” from the government?
The Virginia Association of Independent Schools does an outstanding
job of accrediting its member institutions, but will funding
and regulations bring a new look to independence? If not,
will educational accountability, which is clearly essential,
be applied only to public institutions? Will students who
get tax credits and vouchers be required to take Standards
of Learning tests? Will private school students who cannot
verify content mastery in courses in English, math, science,
and history be given a diploma?
High-Cost Students: Few businesses can survive if they are
regulated while their competitors are not. At the heart of
public education is the obligation to provide knowledge and
skills for all young people. There is no admissions department.
In fact, Virginia not only provides an education, it requires
it. The goal is all-inclusive.
Many students require extraordinary services in special education,
gifted education, and English-as-a-second-language. One student
in special education may cost as much as $100,000 a year.
Few private choices are being developed to serve these special-needs
students. Few private schools are recruiting at-risk students.
If the public schools are relegated to serving only high-cost
students, the price will continue to grow at a rate exceeded
only by the challenge to provide appropriate services.
Educational choice is critical to preserve the rights of
families and to test public services against the principles
of competition. With the assurance of options, there also
should come a renewed commitment to support and strengthen
the public institutions that were established to ensure educational
opportunities for all young people.
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