Once the first stage of the program has been accepted (parents can place their children at any of the government-run schools in their district, and federal funding follows the students to that school) and the second stage has been successful (the teachers unions are exposed), then the third stage can proceed: allowing private schools into the federal program. These schools will be required to meet the same minimum certifications that the government-run schools are. Obviously, private schools will still charge a tuition since they are not funded by tax-payer dollars, as are the government-run schools. Therefore, the government will reimburse parents who choose a private school over a government-run school, up to the amount a government-run school receives for each student. If the tuition charges is less than the amount it costs to fund a government-run school, then taxes will decrease. If a private school chooses to charge a tuition that is more than the cost of a government-run school, then they parent will have to choose to pay the difference out of pocket or not attend that school. This is typically referred to as the “voucher” system.
Opponents (other than the corrupt teachers unions) typically raise two issues once the private schools enter the mix: private schools can charge any amount they see fit and private schools can be religion-based. Prestigious private schools are free to charge higher tuition which usually prohibits lower-income families from attending. Religious schools, such as Catholic schools, may offend some and give the impression of a state-sponsored religion. These topics should be addressed at a local level and are, for the most part, minor issues that should not be allowed to derail the entire program.
This program is based on Milton Friedman’s voucher system proposed in his 1980 book “Free to Choose”. The difference in this program is that it is broken into three stages meant to ease skeptical parents into the system. Currently, inner-city African-Americans would benefit from this program most, both in immediacy and in significance. If John McCain is looking to sway any African-American voters to cast their vote for him, I implore him to seriously promote a school voucher system.
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