In the past, I was adamantly opposed to any voucher school
system because I felt it was a devious way for religious schools to get state
money to preach their religious beliefs to young, impressionable minds and to
me that is unconstitutional because our Constitution mandates a separation of
church and state; giving money to church run schools is tantamount to endorsing
religion.
I am still opposed to giving tax money to church run schools
even though I am a product of such schools, but the voucher system where a
student can attend any school in any district that has an opening, is
intriguing. The vouchers, which are basically state education money
certificates that each student possesses, can be used at public schools as well
as private, for profit schools.
Many are saying that this plan would kill public school
education as we have known it forever it seems. Well, maybe the system we all
grew up in is no longer a viable system especially to the people that are
forced to send their kids to a “failing” school.
I know we moved from Detroit
even though we had a grade school half a block away. We bought a house in Livonia even though we
couldn’t afford one, just to give our kids a better education, and it worked
but many can’t just up and move to a better school district.
Transportation will be a big issue since transportation will
only be available for students living in a school district but parents that can
drive their kids to school or teenagers that can drive themselves to school can
make use of the new options available to them.
The biggest challenge to the new plan will come from the
teacher’s union which will lose their stranglehold on education in Michigan but
it is time that they lose their monopoly that they use to get higher and higher
benefits for lower and lower academic results.
I will have more on this issue as it develops because I
think this will be a great boon to the state which needs better educated
workers to sustain its economic growth.
No comments:
Post a Comment