Isn’t that the crux of the issue? Fundamentalists have an issue with both public education and health plans because they are indirectly “funding things they don’t approve of”. Of course this ignores that money is fungible. Likewise “Conservatives” can keep expanding their list of boycotts ad infinitum over social issues… but to what end? We see with the book bans or that issue over the choice of movie shown in class. Being able to “opt out” isn’t good enough for these people. They have to destroy those opportunities for other students, instead of the freedom of opting out, all other students have to adhere to a rigid worldview. Even if it’s just 1 parent! Similarly, if one is anti-abortion they could always choose to not get an abortion or birth control. But that isn’t good enough, for the fundamentalist they must be able to impose their ideologues on others. Obviously not a sustainable arrangement in a free society. This behavior is actually completely antithetical to freedom.
Roy is a jellyfish. He does what he is told Oh and he plays the culture war drum just like the right does. (Hint: its how he got elected ...on a single issue basically). He is being hyperbolic to appeal to a base. This is the same state that once lowered math requirements because the schools math results were always lacking. (Jim Hunt was the democratic governor that did that iirc). But dont be fooled. This isnt just about rich peoples money. Cooper is opposed to the Opportunity Scholarship Program, which awards private school scholarships to children from low-income households. He is a pandering politician.
This isnt about that at all. Read what I have written. He has shot down any attempt at school choice. Even scholarship programs for low income children. Tax payers in a free society should have some say in by who and how their kids are educated. Draw a line at a certain income level if you need to, but him not even being willing to support scholarships for poor kids makes it pretty clear that he is just playing the same game the right is. Neither is really interested in our kids. And my oldest just finished her freshman year at a public university in this state after graduating from a public HS here, and though we have used 3 different options for educating our kids during different seasons, public schools have certainly been a part of the journey. So my opinion is not an indictment on the PS system here, but rather on this myth that Cooper and the dems here have some deeper love for education than anyone else They love power. Both sides do.
Why is not wanting to give away taxpayer money to private schools “pandering”? Do we typically give away taxpayer dollars to spend in a private enterprise? Should every person just be given $5000 to purchase health care? Maybe he just thinks every dollar should stay in public schools and not be given away? That is actually the dilemna with even (theoretically) well meaning vouchers programs. If you take that $$$, and maybe take away a certain % of students. You are leaving ruins for the students left behind. School choice has that potential impact as well, and can be a bussing nightmare for a district if neighborhood kids can go to 2 or 3 different schools rather than just 1. So it might be great for some % of students and mean devastation to others (and you can almost guarantee a higher proportion of minorities will be the ones left negatively impacted).
Has anything been more vital to the great American melting pot than public education? Has anything done more to bring us together?
As to school vouchers, there are a finite number of openings in private schools. Voucher supporters act like everyone can go private, and that is not the case. What concerns me is the possibility of a shylock opening "Doug's Private School," taking the voucher money and having no educational credentials to actually be able to teach children.
I mean you brought up health care lol. You and I likely agree on health care, which is an interesting point. Free healthcare paid by taxpayers exists for certain people already. Cooper doesnt want any tax money going to help even poor kids in bad districts. So this isnt about tax money to private citizens. Seems the very attitude he would hammer conservatives for in a health care conversation. He gave away huge amounts of tax money for unemployment caused when he kept the state closed longer than many. This governor has no issue with taking tax money and giving it to non public things... And to private citizens to use on health care. I just think he should do the same for educating kids. This is political. The teachers union loves the guy
Maybe, but freedom of education is what keeps us that way. When poor kids can only be educated by a government system, that is a slippery slope. Government run schools can eventually become puppets to that government as we see globally. The free system of open education is important and poor kids need that freedom too.
I suppose it was Limbaugh who convinced conservatives that after 150 years or so "public schools" should be called "government schools" to make them sound more ominous and threatening. Schools becoming puppets of the government ... has that really been an issue until ... DeSantis? As far as your emphasis on poor kids, the Republican bill would open vouchers to all income levels, correct?
You beat me to it. I never understood how a corporate school could do a better job educating poor kids than public schools and still turn a profit.
Do private school parents not pay school tax or property taxes? It's not really a subsidy if they're paying for it out of pocket. Our public schools have been failing for decades. That's not the fault of voucher programs. That's a public entity that has lost their way. There should be multiple options for educating your children. If you want to scrap vouchers, can parents opt out of property and school taxes?
Tilly. This is pretty much a lie. It is NOT focused on the poor. Talk about pandering. The income requirements for the opportunity scholarship includes 94% of households. However, the users will be those who can afford the difference between these scholarships and tuition which will be the wealthiest students. Secondly.. where do you think the money is coming for this expansion? Answer, the public budget. Look at those dollar diversions. Public schools need more funding not less. Income requirements: https://www.ncseaa.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1171/2020/10/HHIncomeEligibilityGuidelines.pdf Income percentile calculator: Income Percentile by State Calculator Budget expansion
it's about school choice: Senate Bill 406, also known as “Choose Your School, Choose Your Future,” is an initiative to make opportunity scholarships (also known as “vouchers”) available to families of all income levels. This would allow parents to use public school fund allocated for their children and use it to send them to a private school of their choosing. The bill will also require public schools to allow students to graduate from high school in three years, instead of four.
What if you dont have kids? The fact is it is the public's benefit to have an educated workforce even if you dont have kids or dont use the public school system. Same with airports you dont use or roads you dont use. There is a 30 year old lawsuit flying around NC that poor districts are suing the state for lack of funding. Got a favorable ruling a few months ago. There is a public need to fund education and the GOP only makes it more unbalanced. The Leandro case: A summary of the ongoing debate about educational funding
