The Colby Echo

Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Opinions

Media Credit: Caroline Dickson Ben Hauptman

The public school system in our country is nothing short of a disaster. While there are most certainly public schools in this country that perform adequately and prepare students for the future, there are many more that do not have that opportunity. There are many people who believe we should use school vouchers to give students and parents a choice of affordable private schooling in the hopes that schools will begin competing with each other and therefore become more successful institutions. As promising as this sounds, this is one idea I find extremely difficult to embrace.

The voucher system relies on competition between schools, but I do not think that public schools are in a place where they can compete on the same level as private schools. Since public education is a right in this country, the government should provide enough funding such that public schools will adequately serve the student population. But, without appropriate government dollars and governmental support, these schools will never make it to the appropriate standard. Our government doesn't help schools that are in need; it eventually punishes them, and we can thank No Child Left Behind for that.

I remember reading one of Jonathan Kozol's books and recall a chapter where he discusses school funding. He talks about a school in which the heating system doesn't work properly and the school is forced to use any extra money it gets to make this work, while none of that money can go toward teacher training, school materials, technology or other building improvements.

The fact is that the government hasn't paid adequate attention to the public schooling system for years and that this problem has built up to an unreasonable level. A voucher system will allow students to escape the system, but it will not solve the problem. Public schools do not have the resources, and have never had the resources, to compete with private schooling. The government has a responsibility to make sure these schools are functional, and it has yet to impose some sort of legislation that will allow this to happen.

On top of that, what happens when private schools get more students? They need more teachers, more materials, and more space, in which case their tuition rises. If the government doesn't provide enough money for public schools now, why on earth would it provide enough to face the rising costs of private education with these vouchers?

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