Apr
16
A reprint of an Op-Ed by Governor Bush
April 16, 2008 | | Leave a Comment
With an acknowledgement to the Miami Herald and the Foundation for Florida’s Future, I’m posting this because you need to see this, too.
“Opponents were wrong about impact of vouchers”
MIAMI HERALD
By Jeb Bush
April 14, 2008 “A quality education can change a life. It can lift a child out of poverty and provide young people with the skills to achieve their dreams. “Knowing this, how can anyone deny a poor child the right to a quality education? “In 1999,
Florida created Opportunity Scholarships to empower parents with financial resources to give their children a quality education. Under the program, students in chronically failing public schools were eligible for a voucher to attend a public or private school of their choice. The program was based on the principles that parents know better than bureaucracies how to best educate their children and that providing a quality education to children in low income families was the best way to prevent a life-long dependence on government. “Our history proves that the opponents were simply wrong about the impact of vouchers. Vouchers did not trigger a mass exodus of students from public schools. During the last year of the program, almost 190,000 students in public school were eligible for an Opportunity Scholarship, but only 734 students in the entire state participated; 95 percent were minority students from low income families. Moreover, participating schools could not pick and choose students. Closing the gap “Vouchers did not drain money from the public schools. Since vouchers were established in 1999,
Florida has increased funding per student by 49 percent. In fact, the program actually saved money. The state paid an average of $4,000 for an Opportunity Scholarship rather than the $7,206 provided for a student attending public school. To ensure accountability for the public funds, the state required a myriad of measures for participating schools. “Since introducing accountability and school choice,
Florida has experienced unprecedented rising student achievement in public schools. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, our fourth graders are now above the national average in reading and math. Eighth graders are ninth in the nation in writing. Overall, the state is closing the achievement gap.
Florida ’s high school graduation rate has in creased by more than 12 percent since 1999, and more students are entering college. “Unfortunately, Opportunity Scholarships were struck down as unconstitutional by a state appellate court in 2002. The appellate court ruled that vouchers represented ”indirect support” of a religious institution — even though the state was paying for a service, not funding a particular dogma. In 2006, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the decision and also ruled that vouchers for private schools violated a constitutional requirement that public education be ”uniform.” Under this tortured reasoning, a better education from a private school was unconstitutional because it was different than the education provided by a public school. “Fortunately, voters will get an opportunity to decide the merits of the first issue, which was placed on November’s ballot by the Taxation and Budget Review Commission. Opponents will again claim vouchers violate the separation of church and state, even though parents — not government — decide where to send their children to school. If the appellate court’s decision was applied ”uniformly” across the spectrum of government spending, it would end funding of dozens of programs that improve the quality of life for millions of Floridians. Few choices“The state would end funding for similar voucher programs, including private options under Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten Program and McKay Scholarships, which allow students with disabilities to opt for private programs that meet their special needs. High-achieving graduates would not be able use Bright Futures Scholarships to attend a private college. Faith-based prisons would close. The state would no longer fund programs that provide compassionate care for the elderly, support for families struggling to stay together and help for people who are dealing with addiction. The list goes on. “Disappointingly, the issue of uniformity is unlikely to make it to the ballot. The same commission decided not to put the issue to the voters, where Floridians could voice their opinion about the best way to provide a quality education.
“Meanwhile, too many children are not getting the quality education they deserve because they have few choices. As adults, many of them will lack the skills to succeed in the competitive global marketplace, leaving them dependent on government rather than their own abilities. That is the legacy of opponents of school choice.”
