Phoenix Arizona-State Capital: Controversy
continues to plague the Republican school voucher scheme, which shifts public
dollars away from public schools and toward private schools. Following
reports of little
oversight of the voucher program and more than $100,000 of misspent public
money, a new analysis confirms that vouchers aren't really helping the students
they were purportedly designed to help.
Republicans
claim that vouchers provide resources for students from financially
disadvantaged families to attend better schools. The truth is more than 75
percent of money is being drained from public school districts with "A" or "B"
ratings, according
to a new report. And many of the people using the vouchers live in rich
neighborhoods.
An Arizona
columnist recently
wrote: "Reality tells us that the program is helping suburban kids get out
of high performing schools – giving them public money to help pay the tuition
bill for private school. Poor kids aren't using the
scholarships."
Another
columnist flat out called vouchers a "scam"
and "Robin Hood in reverse, taking from the poor to give to the
rich."
Arizona has
been recognized nationally as a model of what
not to do with private school vouchers. Most Arizona
students attend public schools, so expanding the voucher scheme has the
potential to leave their schools even more strapped for cash.
For House
Democrats, supporting public education is nonnegotiable. We are standing with
and for the majority
of Arizonans who say our kids' schools deserve more. We agree that our kids,
our teachers and our classrooms deserve to be prioritized before tax giveaways.
We will keep fighting against legislation that would allow vouchers to balloon
further, while we push for more resources for public schools.
