Monday, January 23rd, 2006 at 6:32 pm | In Politics, Wisconsin, Education |

There aren’t many subjects that get me as riled up as school choice. From what I’ve been reading lately, Governor Doyle has continued to veto attempts by the legislature to raise the cap above the current 15% of Milwaukee’s public school enrollment. To many people, such as Charlie Sykes and writers at the Wall Street Journal, the answer is simple: let more kids in the system use vouchers to attend private schools outside the crippled MPS system. Better education for more kids. How can you argue with that? Like this:

Money used for vouchers to send Milwaukee students to private schools is money that could have been put towards the public school system.

The argument for school choice is that taking students (and money) away from public schools will force them to compete with private schools, and raise the quality of public schools.

The goal: Improve public schools.
The means: Take money away from public schools.

Great plan!

According to the WSJ article, a study has shown that “students using vouchers to attend Milwaukee’s private schools had a graduation rate of 64%, versus 36% for their public school counterparts.” What the WSJ failed to note is that parents who desire their child to participate in the voucher program are more likely to provide an environment conducive to learning and success. What the study should have done was compare kids who participated in the choice program to kids whose parents wanted them to participate in the program, but were not accepted.

Those in favor want to raise the cap on school choice participation above the current ceiling of 15%. My question is, raise it to where? To 20%, leaving 80% of Milwaukee’s students in the public schools that choice advocates say need to improve so much. To 50%? The major problem with school choice is that, while a small fraction of the students may get a better education, THERE ARE ALWAYS STUDENTS LEFT BEHIND. Why not devise a plan to fund and improve public schools for all of these students? Why must we save the few lucky enough to make the 15% cut and defund public schools for the other 85%? Raising the cap won’t help, but proper funding and some effort put into fixing MPS will. Don’t just abandon these kids, help them.

Mr. Sykes writes, “Today, black students in choice schools face the possibility that they will also be excluded from the schools of their choice. While the current governor will not literally stand in the schoolhouse door, the effect will be the same: the kids will be kept out.”

My question to Sykes is: what is your plan to provide EVERY child with a quality education. Sykes says that kids will be left out if the Governor doesn’t up the cap. What he doesn’t state, is that, no matter what the cap is, kids will be left out. What I believe Sykes is saying here is that all children who have parents who desire them to get a quality education should be allowed access to it. What I’m saying is that all children should have access to a quality education, whether their parents are supporting enough to care about where they go to school or not.

According to the WSJ, the only way Doyle will raise the cap is if, “it’s tied to a change in the school-aid formula that he knows would never pass the Republican legislature — particularly in an election year.” No shit. Doyle realizes that just sending more kids into the voucher program won’t help the bigger problem: improving our public schools. You know what will help? Proper funding; which is exactly what Doyle demands be part of the package and is what he’s been fighting for over the past three years.

This isn’t to say that simply throwing money at poorer districts will improve the problem. Funding has to be accompanied by effort, reform, and accountability. But defunding public schools doesn’t come across as a responsible action to me. The bottom line: use public money to improve public schools, not to send a small fraction somewhere else.

That’s my opinion. What’s yours?

Folkbum: Shameless Race-Baiting on the Right: Conservatives’ True Colors (this one’s a must-read)

Wall Street Journal: The Education Borg (Poor form with the analogy, WSJ. I expect better.)

Charlie Sykes: WHY ARE DOYLE AND XOFF SO UPSET?

Xoff: Sykes choosing words more carefully? His ’spot’ becomes paid commercial