Written by Don Byrd
A lawsuit filed by a group of North Carolina public school advocates challenges the state’s new school voucher program that allows parents to use taxpayer money to fund private or religious school tuition. The suit argues the scheme violates the state constitution’s requirement that school funds be used exclusively for a uniform public school system.
Associated Press reports:
The law taking effect for the next academic year starting in August would give annual grants of $4,200 each. Students are eligible if they qualify for the federal free and reduced-price lunch program, were assigned to a public school during the 2014 spring semester, and want to attend a private or religious school. About 2,400 students could qualify for grants in the first year, when lawmakers budgeted $10 million. Legislators said they hope to expand the program in future years.
…
Opponents argue that North Carolina’s law drains money from public schools without private schools facing the same accountability or responsibility to educate all comers regardless of ability or handicap. . . .“Private schools don’t provide a report card of their results to the public. Private schools don’t account to taxpayers about who they serve, who they underserve and who they refuse to serve. They don’t account to taxpayers, and so the community can’t judge if their tax dollars are being used well,” Ward said. “Vouchers are bad public policy. They tear away millions of dollars that are badly needed by the public schools.”
Vouchers also needlessly entangle public money with religious education. They don’t improve education and are repeatedly rejected at the ballot box. Why do state legislators continue to adopt such schemes?
