School voucher money for all?

[treestarfae]

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101215/ts_yblog_thelookout/rick-scotts-bold-education-plan-draws-bevy-of-critics I would love to see some money for curriculum!

[Jen500]

I didn't see anything about money going to homeschoolers in the article. Maybe there are more details?

[Whereneverever]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101215/ts_yblog_thelookout/rick-scotts-bold-education-plan-draws-bevy-of-critics I would love to see some money for curriculum!

I'd love money, but I wouldn't love strings.

[Dmmetler]

How would umbrella schools work? We're in TN, not FL, but legally my DD isn't homeschooled. She's enrolled in a private school at an "approved satellite location-which just happens to be our house, and her teachers of record just happen to be my husband and I.

 

I don't know if FL has a similar law, but if so, I could see this being usable at minimum to pay fees for umbrella schools.

[Haiku]

I think this is a bad idea and the beginning of the dismantling of public education. I think that proponents of this idea fail to understand that per-child spending for public education does not mean that the money belongs to that individual child. I pay taxes for the local schools, not because my kids attend them but because public schools are funded by the public for the benefit of all children whose parents wish them to attend. To me this voucher idea is indicative of the idea that we are all islands and don't need to depend on our communities to function.

 

Tara

[Hen]

I don't see the teacher's unions ever letting this happen. Case study: Washington D.C. - worst district in the country and they took away vouchers.

[Mrs Mungo]

I agree with Tara. People without kids pay for schools, therefore I don't have a problem paying for schools even though my kids are not in school. Now, if it was a *percentage* of the per student spending, I would be okay with that as long as the program was optional and/or without strings (these programs never are).

Edited December 16, 2010 by Mrs Mungo

[Miss Sherry]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101215/ts_yblog_thelookout/rick-scotts-bold-education-plan-draws-bevy-of-critics I would love to see some money for curriculum!

"I would love to see some money for curruculum". Do you think there is such a thing as free money ? STriNgs, sTrInGs,StRiNGs................

[SonshineLearner]

I would love for this to happen. You're still paying some $$$ as a "mandated contribution towards government education".... There's no way that $5500 is the total amount per student that the State counts as "per student" cost. It's usually towards the $10,000 amount.... So, the state still gets its $4000 or so... and then the school of your choice... for your child gets the $5500. for their education. I think it's great. We aren't our own islands, but our kids aren't property of the state and still deserve education, too. And, since my kids would be getting the benefit of full time care/teaching at school, I don't see that it's a problem for them to get that same care... at the tax payer's expense... at the spot I choose. I'm sending mine to a classical school if that happens :) At least my little one :)...

[Renee in NC]

This is just an expansion of an already in place voucher system in FL. The $5500 covers about what a non-disabled child costs the school system, while a separate, already in place program pays $5500 to $32,000 depending on the severity of a student's disability.

[Renee in NC]

I would love for this to happen. You're still paying some $$$ as a "mandated contribution towards government education".... There's no way that $5500 is the total amount per student that the State counts as "per student" cost. It's usually towards the $10,000 amount.... So, the state still gets its $4000 or so... and then the school of your choice... for your child gets the $5500. for their education. I think it's great. We aren't our own islands, but our kids aren't property of the state and still deserve education, too. And, since my kids would be getting the benefit of full time care/teaching at school, I don't see that it's a problem for them to get that same care... at the tax payer's expense... at the spot I choose. I'm sending mine to a classical school if that happens :) At least my little one :)...

 

Actually not. According to the homeschool non-profit in the state, the state pays the school district $5500 for each non-disabled child. Special needs children cover the other amount. The "per student" number is an average, with some students costing a significant amount more than average.

[HS Mom in NC]

I don't believe in public funds being used in the private sector because of the potential for government control. I think it's just as bad to have government in charge of education (so I am anti-public education unless a child is a ward of the state, the child of a prisoner, or truly poor) as it is to have government in charge of religion or healthcare. It's unconstitutional to put the feds in charge of education anyway. Here are my standard questions about vouchers, #10 being the the core of the issue.

 

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Public schooled-around 86% Private Schooled-around 12% Homeschooled-around 2%

 

 

1. Will the private sector be prepared to meet the increased demand vouchers could bring? If private institutions cannot accommodate every student seeking admittance, who will determine who goes and who stays? How?

 

 

2. Who will define a quality education? How will quality be measured and disclosed? How will this affect innovation?

 

 

3. Will private schools be required to use materials with a secular world view to qualify? If not, who will pay the court costs for the lawsuits? If the private schools lose what legal implications will it have?

 

 

4. Will teacher certification be required? Why or why not? What qualifications will teachers/administrators have to have to qualify? What control will administrators and parents have over poor performing teachers?

 

 

5. What required accommodations will there be for children with social, medical, behavioral problems? If so how will it affect the cost of tuition? If not, will there be discrimination law suits?

 

 

6. Which, if any, of the many standardized test available will be required, and who will decide? What will be the minimum test score standard required of the students? What will happen if the standards are not met?

 

 

7. What entity will monitor the schools and their performances? Will it be a government or private agency? How much will it cost in tax dollars to fund monitoring? Exactly how will they monitor schools?

 

 

8. Can anyone prove increased regulation and monitoring directly improve academic performance?

 

 

9. If more people have more funds available to them, will the tuition of private institutions most in demand increase? Will investing in additional facilities and staff raise the cost of tuition?

 

 

10. If private institutions financially invest to meet demand will the government have control by determining who receives funds by meeting government defined certification/accreditation/approval?

[Mynyel]

I think I prefer to pay for it out of my pocket and keep the government out of it all together. :001_smile:

[Hen]

I agree with Homeschool Mom, I would prefer a tax credit, less strings hopefully and less documents.

[Tylianna]

When I was in highschool, I missed 7 days in one trimester. I had to "fail" those classes because of that. Even though I was still getting good grades. :glare:

 

Anyways, I found out the reason behind that was if a student misses a certain amount of days, their funding for that child is cut or dropped.

 

When I homeschooled with Calvert, they said that some school systems will accept homeschoolers under the school system, and they will pay for the Calvert curriculum, in order to count them as students of the school corporation. They would love to pay the $1,000 curriculum and pocket the rest. The only thing I had to do was convince the superintentent to agree to it. OH, and take them in for any necessary testing, etc...

 

If my children were to go to the public school system, they would get more funding, due to more children. Since they are homeschooled, they do not get it. So, I guess my taxes go to some sort of general 'fund'?

 

I don't know about the whole voucher idea... I would love to be able to AFFORD better curriculum for my kids, but then I open myself up to being picked on more by the school system because they want their money BACK

[Crimson Wife]

I'd rather see an expansion of the kind of virtual charters we have here in CA. Parents who are willing to put up with the requirements (standardized testing and meeting with a credentialed teacher once per month) can get hundreds of dollars per child per semester to spend on whatever materials and classes they choose so long as they're secular. Religious materials can be used if the parent pays out-of-pocket for them (you just can't submit any portfolio samples to the school from them).

 

Legally, there's no such thing as "homeschooling" in CA. Students are either enrolled in a public school (including virtual charters) or a private school (including single-family ones). Each family decides for itself whether they prefer the greater flexibility of the latter or the stipend of the former.