Letter: Reader feels voucher program just wrong

In regards to the state-funded education voucher program which a state judge ruled unconstitutional Friday: I strongly agree that the voucher program is just plain wrong. Many, many years ago, when I was a student in one of the best parishes for public schools (Ascension), I had no desire or need to attend any other school. My father served on the school board in Ascension Parish for 24 years and in his eyes, and the eyes of many others, public schools were where you got the best education possible.

If a school wasn’t up to par, I surely wasn’t given the option to change schools. I was told to work harder and study more. I couldn’t apply for a voucher and go to a private or parochial school unless my parents chose to pay for it. I repeat, the only way I could attend a private or parochial school was if my parents chose to pay for it, not with money set aside for public education. However, back then schools weren’t graded on the same level they are now.

Today, students who attend public schools rated C, D or F under the state’s accountability system and who meet income rules can apply for state aid to attend private or parochial schools. Why should only low-income students be considered for a voucher to get them out of a failing school? Isn’t that discrimination of sorts? Just because a child’s parents make slightly more money than another’s, why should that student not have the same chance? The voucher system is not fair to anyone.

If a school is failing, why remove the student? Why not find the real problem and fix what you have? Why not find out why the school is “failing” and fix that? According to a recent article, nearly 5,000 students statewide qualified for vouchers and those schools that participate in the voucher program receive an average of $5,300 per student from the state. That’s approximately $26.5 million that is set aside for public schools but being funneled to private and parochial schools — $26.5 million that can be better spent fixing the failing schools you already have than giving it to schools that privately raise more money than the state will ever see for public education.

I for one, and I’m sure there are more, am tired of shelling out tax dollars that are not going to their intended destination.

Natalie Bourg Adams

self-employed

Prairieville

Comments

1) Comment by Ivy - 12/05/2012

@1 ryben: I think its the attitude towards poverty that has more bearing; lots of poor children get educated and become successful - they came from working class families and saw momma and daddy get off their duffs and provide for them everyday, even though what they provided was meager at best. But a lot of poor kids today come from families who absolutely are comfortable with nothing, won't work and certainly have nothing to do with alarm clocks in the house.

2) Comment by MBW - 12/05/2012

Teachers unions do NOT receive taxpayer money. Members of the union pay dues to have union representation. Stop demonizing people for exercising freedom of association.

3) Comment by MBW - 12/05/2012

It's clear from the comments that some people need to get a clue about teachers' unions. Folks, Louisiana does NOT have strong teachers unions. They are NOT, I repeat, NOT the reason Louisiana schools suck. They simply don't have the power. it's a right to work state, people. Get a clue.

4) Comment by bourbon-soda - 12/05/2012

@ Scrooge - except I didn't do that. I was trying to point out that education is no guarantee against evil. The Germans had won a large proportion of Nobel Prizes at the time they elected and followed Hitler.

5) Comment by KilgoreTrout - 12/04/2012

Jindal created the legal problem by attempting to circumvent the state constitution solely to benefit the timing of his national political ambitions.

6) Comment by Scrooge - 12/04/2012

1ryben, Actually It appears to be bourbon-soda making the "attribution of causation to correlation" comparing the educational mess in Louisian to 'WWII era Germany". However, a visit to modern Germany will embarrassingly reveal Louisiana's much more closer resemblance to the third world in a non "seqiturization". In a word, nonsense.

7) Comment by 1ryben - 12/04/2012

Sorry tradewinns, I'm not following your WWII era Germany references. I will state that poverty HAS to be taken into account when comparing schools and school systems. Research has shown, time and time again, that poverty is a huge indicator of academic success. I Ambon no way saying that the poor cant learn, nor that they do not deserve a great education. Nor does poverty excuse poor teaching, but it does explain educational outcomes.

8) Comment by 1ryben - 12/04/2012

Teacher's Union takes $0 from taxes. You already knew that though.

9) Comment by Being_Stupid - 12/04/2012

Lot of Folks like to state the obvious problems and complain but then offer no solutions. Blame the parents, but they are a direct result of this failed public school system. The solution is to abolish funding the Teacher Union Monopoly on Education and fund the Consumers of Education instead (parents & students) . School administrators, teachers, parents, and students are all held accountable for their actions under a voucher system. Those who perform make big profits and have educational and job opportunities when they graduate. Those who do not perform will be fired or expelled. The current system offers no reward and no consequences based on performance, a voucher system does. A voucher system makes the individual responsible for their actions.

10) Comment by Being_Stupid - 12/04/2012

@Tradewinns, What is the solution to making parents and students accountable?

11) Comment by Being_Stupid - 12/04/2012

The Teachers Union only cares about MONEY. Educating children is not their priority. How much MONEY has the Teachers Union taken from taxpayers and what are the results?

12) Comment by tradewinns - 12/04/2012

i probably should add, while i'm sure this will work, can you imagine a politician introducing a bill to make student's parents responsible for anything? they will just sit there hopeing to not make even one voter mad at them. that's why they blame the teachers, money, the school board, anyone but them.

13) Comment by tradewinns - 12/04/2012

chem; the useless politicians MUST take action to make the parent(s) fiscally responsible for the children's behavior and participation in school work. it would be nice if the children participated in class discussion/work, but not all children feel comfortable with that. they can be responsible to insure the child does the required homework and understands the lessons. the only real way to enforce discipline is to fine the parents of disruptive students the cost of one days education. everyone WILL pay! poor, rich or middle class the fine will be paid. if the child's parent is strickly a welfare receipient, take it our of their benefits. they may miss it the most but they are usually the one's who need an education the most. everyone else, lien their real property or seize their bank accounts. nothing is impossible.

14) Comment by NewsFreak - 12/04/2012

The INTENDED result for the vouchers might have been to fund public education, but according to my research, the CURRENT result for vouchers is making MONEY and keeping the doors open on struggling private religious schools. Lets see if Redemptorist High School, Hosanna Christian Academy with 300 voucher students, are open when the stare gravy train (voucher money) dries up. If the schools office of the catholic diocese of Baton Rouge (Dr Verges) wholeheartedly supported the voucher program, why don't the other three catholic High schools in Baton Rouge have voucher students? Catholic High School and St Joseph's Academy have zero, and St Michael the Archangel High School might have one or two at most. Redemptorist Schools of Baton Rouge has 143 voucher students.

15) Comment by Being_Stupid - 12/04/2012

The intended destination is to fund public education, not public schools and teachers unions.

16) Comment by twinkie1cat - 12/04/2012

The problem is that the politicians blame the "failing" (and I am beginning to doubt that many actually are) on the teachers and parents instead of on the upper administration and politicians. Let the teachers run the schools, real teachers with education degrees and experience and the schools won't fail. As good principals of higher achieving public schools say, "We pick our teachers very carefully". And that is true. Real teachers know how to do their job and will do it if allowed.

17) Comment by DMJ - 12/04/2012

"Why should only low-income students be considered for a voucher "? Uh...because higher income students have more money. Still...I agree that the voucher system was a terrible idea. Kudos to the courts for halting it, if only temporarily.

18) Comment by chem - 12/04/2012

I too was pleased with the ruling on the voucher system. Public money should not be used to subsidize private and religious schools. I taught at the college-level for 12 years, but that hardly makes me an expert on teaching and it certainly does not give me much insight into the vastly more complicated K-12 system. It seems to me that a major problem is the lack of discipline in public schools. Even one unruly student can disrupt the classroom enough that learning goes down the tubes. Multiply that number and the whole school can spiral toward chaos. Money is not the problem. Teachers are not the problem. The system itself is the problem. Unless and until teachers are again given the means to control the classroom, it will never change for the better. Far too many parents are also to blame. In too many instances, these parents are AWOL regarding their child's upbringing. When school authorities talk to them about their delinquent little brats, these AWOL parents defend their incorrigible kids and berate the school. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I know that vouchers and the disregard for public education in this state is not the solution.

19) Comment by bourbon-soda - 12/04/2012

Look at where the highly developed German educational system got them at the beginning of and during WWII.

20) Comment by tradewinns - 12/04/2012

1ryben, you state "... when economic status is accounted for,". you have to drop all caveats. nothing in the world is equal, especially when it comes to nations. La.'s current educational system is a standout compared to Germany's, if you only look at germany's system immediately after WW2. i would look at our national educational system after WW2 as education became important to the majority and the benefits of our war time research was put into a consumer economy.

21) Comment by bourbon-soda - 12/04/2012

Wait a minute; the United States did all that for the past hundred or more years with an inferior education system? Who knew. Maybe more money for education is not a panacea. What a thought. Maybe some courses in how to use an alarm clock would do it.

22) Comment by Fyreduo - 12/04/2012

I always hear how we're lagging behind other countries in terms of education. I believe it's because we educate ALL children! Other countries, especially those ahead of us, do not believe in education for ALL children. Someone needs to research that and it's impact on our world rank.

23) Comment by 1ryben - 12/03/2012

Trade wins, you state that the educational system can be the best in the world (again). When was this? In my research, the Louisiana education nor the USA education system has never been rated the best by any international measurement. It is a myth that Americas schools were once greater than they are now. At no time in history has America's students fared better on international tests when economic status is accounted for, the issue is that America has a disproportionate share of poor students in relation to countries of similar economic status.

24) Comment by Scrooge - 12/03/2012

Absolutely tradewinns, Your soultion would work but you would have to take politics out of the equation. So why are the only real experts on education those who never taught?

25) Comment by tradewinns - 12/03/2012

i do not support the voucher program. i believe the educational system should be and could be the best in the world (again) if those who run the programs would define the problems, research the solutions to the problems and initiate the solution to fix the problem. and NO, money isn't the problem!