No they don't. Voucher schools often fail and close the doors only after pocketing loads of taxpayer cash. OPINION: After two decades of studying voucher programs, I’m now firmly opposed to them Vouchers are dangerous to American education. They promise an all-too-simple solution to tough problems like unequal access to high-quality schools, segregation and even school safety. In small doses, years ago, vouchers seemed like they might work, but as more states have created more and larger voucher programs, experts like me have learned enough to say that these programs on balance can severely hinder academic growth — especially for vulnerable kids. There’s also a moral case to be made against voucher programs. They promise low-income families solutions to academic inequality, but what they deliver is often little more than religious indoctrination to go alongside academic outcomes that are worse than before. All of these results have a straightforward explanation: vouchers do not work on the large scale pushed for by advocates today. While small, early pilot voucher programs showed at least modest positive results, expansions statewide have been awful for students. That’s because there aren’t enough decent private schools to serve at-risk kids. Many of the private schools that clamor to take voucher kids — think about the market here — are desperate for enrollment. They promise what amounts to the wide world for low-income kids. I’ve walked through hallways and seen signs promising an education of “Tradition! Discipline! Achievement!” Sometimes I’ll see a word about Christian faith and character.
We disagree. That’s fine. I offered my opinion from working in the sector both public and private for the last 50 years. You offered an opinion piece from a newspaper. All good. The only difference is you started by insulting and shutting down all debate. There are so many public schools failing to educate the kids out in their charge. Boston, Chicago, rural Kansas, Tampa.. many public schools are nothing more than a poor daycare. Many private schools offer excellent educations along with quality extra curriculars. Parents should have the right to choose. If a parent is involved in the kids education they will be able to tell very quickly if the school is a scam or not. They have the ability to choose. No need to respond Davis.. I know your stance. And I know you consider me either a thief or idiot.
Whose effort to battle wokeness? Most people I know who chose private education did so because the public school was failing miserably. At one point Greco Middle school In tampa was consider one of the most dangerous schools in the state. If that was where your daughter had to go would you be looking for alternatives?
My oldest daughter is part of the Step Up Unique Abilities program due to learning and developmental problems stemming from being born significantly premature and public schools not being able to meet her needs. Tuition takes the major portion of her ESA. The remainder we use for things like uniforms, technology fees, etc. Parents can use leftover money in a variety of ways, such as contributing to a 529 plan, technology, etc,. Many parents use these plans to cover expenses for home schooling for kids who cannot attend school settings and need private tutoring or home schooling, etc. You explicitly cannot use dollars for theme part admission. The only way in which you can is if your child's school is going to a theme park on a field trip with the appropriate documentation. Gaming systems cannot be purchased excepting with educational software
Public schools need to get better across the country. What do you think needs to be done? Reading and Math Achievement Is Getting Worse, Nation's Report Card Shows.
From the Orlando Sentinel: TAMPA — Preparing for classes to resume next fall, St. Paul Catholic School in St. Petersburg told its families not to expect much difference in its tuition charges. That changed after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a measure making state-funded private school vouchers of about $8,000 available to all school-age children, regardless of income. That’s the approximate amount Florida will pay next year to educate most students in public schools. After consulting the Diocese of St. Petersburg, parents and other area Catholic schools, “we decided that we need to take maximum advantage of this dramatically expanded funding source,” Monsignor Robert Gibbons, the St. Paul pastor, said in a YouTube video the school shared publicly. “Otherwise,” he added, “we would be negligent.” So instead of paying $6,000 per child, families at the school who are St. Paul parish members will now be charged $10,000 per child. Nonmembers will be charged $12,000 per child, instead of $7,000. Discounts for multiple-student families will be eliminated. With $8,000 from the state covering most of that cost, families will owe far less than what they had been paying and the school will receive more. “If we don’t take full advantage of this funding source, we will be leaving money on the table and it will revert back to the state,” Gibbons said in the video, listing teacher pay raises and capital improvement projects among the areas the school would bolster with the added revenue. To get there, he said, “every family in the school will need to apply for the voucher.”
Personally? We need to stop making public schools responsible for feeding, disciplining, entertaining, and training kids. So many schools are expected to provide breakfast lunch and a snack. They have to have school programs for kids. Teachers are expected to be educators, counselors, and life coaches. Until Parents take an active role in their kids education ( and for some In raising their children) nothing will change. In Tn and Ky many school systems are the only healthy meals many kids get. They offer the only structure and discipline in the kids life. I would imagine the same can be said for school systems In Florida and across America.
They have always had the right to choose. Now I think they should have the right to choose their public school whether it is in their neighborhood or not. I don't want to pay for a discount for someone who can more than afford to send their kids to a private school. (see my other post) One other word on the subject; I think this is just a way to privatize public education for profit. Also, my DIL is a 4th grade teacher. She gets these kids when the crappy fake private school shuts down. They are so behind and she has to work hard for them to get back up to speed, if they do.
To be clear… this is still a CHOICE that families get to make? Right? What would draw someone to put their kid in such an expensive school? Maybe a better education? Now do I think the school is wrong for jacking the price up. Absolutely. Skeezy to the max. But we aren’t discussing individual schools. Plenty of school public and private and skeezy. But if the school offers a high quality education and great extra curriculars and parents WANT to put their kids their why shouldn’t they have that option.
I have worked with several public schools where the crappy 4th and 5th grade teachers couldn’t find a verb in a sentence. I have also worked with private schools who had to work with students from public schools who where several grades behind and the private school was several grades above grade level. Again. It’s about choice. Parents should be able to choose the best options for their child. Not the state. Not some politicians.. talk about skeezy.. but the parents.
Again, they have always had the choice. I don't want to pay for these pop up schools that don't hire real teachers, aren't accountable for the grades and progress of the kids, and now give a discount to wealthy parents. Make our poor schools better, instead of treating them like the red headed step child. I never thought this would work because government would be telling them how to teach, what to teach, and cause them to test the students so we can see if it's living up to what our standards are for public schools. Little did I know we are selective when it comes to government overreach in this state. And just so you know, my DIL has been teaching over 10 years and has been rated "highly effective" every single year. Parents ask for her for their younger kids and because another parent shared their experience with her.
Only those rich enough had the right to choose. Everyone else got stuck with their designate zones school. As for picking your school even if not in your area.. it doesn’t work. Good schools are already over crowded. Having kids come from other school zones or districts will completely swamp them. Now parents - even lower income parents- have the ability to choose a better education for their kids. Will some abuse it - yeah. And they are probably parents that’s event overly involved in their kids life anyways and was just looking for a babysitter. But many will use it to find a safer school, or a school with better academics. Or a school that offers something special for their individual kid. All about the choice.
It's a Catholic school. I went because I was Catholic. I'm sure they aren't the only ones, right? Pay for it and you can go there. Don't ask me to.
I somewhat agree about the skeezy pop up schools. They are terrible. But given time they will shift out. Terrible public schools just keep draining our pockets and never shut down. Greco is still terrible down in tampa. Seffner elementary has had it 4th and 5th grade teaching teams turnover 3 times in five years (along with new admin every couple of years.) It’s not like we aren’t funding terrible teachers and admin in public schools as it is.. Good high quality private education exist across the state and nation and is now available to lower income families.
Hard to disagree with the importance of good parenting. But I'm sure there have always been problem parents, and public education has served us pretty well over the generations. I'm not necessarily opposed to private competition though.
If a school doesn't offer what they need for their child they can go to another school whether it is crowded or not. It's called a waiver. Special needs, or gifted students. Even if they aren't either of those, we should be again working to make those schools better instead of abandoning them. We the people of FL passed an amendment to lower class sizes. Our fabulous legislature found a way to water it down and get nothing done. If we took the money they are using for vouchers towards building better schools that can have small classes, and paying for great teachers, we could be the model for the country. And what about the latest and greatest spending spree to allow anyone to have these vouchers, regardless of income? Not exactly helping just the poor is it? This just reeks of wanting to make our schools another for profit money grab for businesses. The republicans already are talking about doing away with the department of education. Such a slippery slope we are going down.
Yes. Only the wealthy get to live in gated communities. Only the wealthy can have a parent stay at home to be there for the kids when they get home and help them with homework. Only the wealthy take their kids on nice vacations where they may even learn about other cultures - think Europe. Do you want to subsidize that too? Many of these parents are choosing these pop up schools. It isn't helping them. If you go on our website to see the schools that accepted vouchers ( it may have changed now) you won't see the top private schools in the Orlando area listed. They may now be rethinking it just like that Catholic school in Tampa. Hmm. Edited to add: Does anyone consider the fact that these great private schools look so great because of the socioeconomic makeup of the students? The fact that they create smaller classrooms? That the kids have to qualify to go there? All of this skews the numbers and makes it look like they are doing everything right.
