Texas needs school choice
August 22nd, 2006 by Brendan SteinhauserÂÂ
Michele Connole of The Young Conservatives of Texas writes,
One way Texas can institute efficiency in education is to pass a statewide voluntary voucher program. The idea is simple enough. The money spent by the state per pupil could be used to offset the cost of education in a charter or private school or for parents to home-school their children. Currently, parents who place their children in private schools to escape a failing public school are being double-taxed; paying for tuition and not having any options to lower their own tax burden to the state.
Giving parents options when the TEA deems the local school as merely “acceptable” is absolutely necessary. Those options should be greater than merely transferring to another public school in the same district, and should also be more accessible to low-income families who cannot afford private school. A voucher program would offer these necessary options.The government, so insistent on preventing monopolies in the private sector, has neglected to look to its own failings. It is now up to the citizenry to hold the government accountable.
It is clear that vouchers will be of little help in rural areas where school choice is slim; but, once the advantage of a voucher program is demonstrated in low-income urban areas, pressure to improve schools will spread like wildfire. Government-run schools are already in competition with each other, with each district fighting for distinction. A voucher program will encourage improvement in all sectors. Monopolies hinder the free market, and government monopolies hinder growth. It’s time that Texas children were allowed to grow into excellence.
