Bridgitt Perry
English 111
Charles Quick
November 20, 2008
Publicly Funded Private School Vouchers
People have different opinions about whether private schools should receive public funding. Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education, on June 28,2002, says that the voucher programs provide needed educational alternatives to low-income families. People for the voucher program argue that wealthier parents have the means to send their children to private schools or to relocate to areas that have better schools, while low-income families don’t possess the means to do this, so they have no choice but to send their children to low-performing schools. (www.gallup.com/poll/6349/beyond-vouchers-fixing-publicschools.aspx).
Florida’s Supreme Court has twice ruled against publicly funded vouchers. Civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit to allow for vouchers, but the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State were against the vouchers. They used separation of church and state as the basis for their argument. (www.web.ebscohost.com). Other opponents of these vouchers argue that the finances that are being taken from public schools and given to private schools hinder the needed reforms in public schools. (www.rethinkingschools.org).
I talked to one lady who has two small children, and she feels that the state should provide vouchers. Her argument was, if you live in an area where the schools are low-performing and full of violence and drugs you should have the alternative to send your children to a private school where you feel they are safer and can learn more. She said that she would feel better and have more peace of mind if her children were in a private school, and her tax dollars will also contribute to their education. I also talked with a former public school teacher who thinks that there should be publicly funded vouchers. She stated that our children are not receiving adequate instruction in public schools. She says that the teachers aren’t held...