Defeating Vouchers
Advocacy
Public Money. Public Schools.
Private school vouchers siphon taxpayer dollars away from public schools and other essential services, diverting those funds to private and home schools. Due to the historic unpopularity of the term "vouchers," proponents have rebranded them as "Education Savings Accounts," "Opportunity Scholarships," or other misleading names. By whatever name, these schemes often lead to budget crises, fraud, abuse, and poor outcomes. And despite claiming to offer families "school choice," it is the schools that choose which students to accept.
Welfare for the Wealthy
Despite being sold as a way for poor families to escape so-called failing schools, in truth, these schemes have amounted to welfare for the wealthy. In state after state, the vast majority of vouchers have subsidized those already attending private schools. In Nevada, the majority of applicants to the Education Savings Account voucher program were from the wealthiest zip codes and highest performing public schools. When lower income families do attempt to utilize vouchers, they often experience road blocks: - Most quality private schools are still prohibitively expensive even with a voucher (some even raise tuition in response to vouchers). - Lower tuition cost can mean low-quality private schools, often referred to as "pop-up" or "strip mall" schools. - Other expenses such as uniforms, books, technology fees, and other requirements can also price out these families. - Transportation and no free meals also limits access. In the end, these families typically stay in or quickly return to their public school. The talking point that vouchers support low-income communities is a myth.
Discrimination
Public schools are required to take students as they come and serve every student. Even when taking public tax dollars via vouchers, private schools can discriminate against students for almost any reason. Students can be rejected for: - Religious beliefs (or lack thereof) - Academic or behavioral needs - Disabilities - Sexual orientation or gender identity - Almost any other reason When it comes to vouchers, it's not school choice, it's the school's choice. Did you know?: Vouchers were built on discrimination. The concept was born in the 1950s and 60s by voucher proponents whose goal was to avoid having their kids integrate with students of color after "separate but equal" facilities were deemed unconstitutional.
No Accountability, Poor Outcomes
In an era where “accountability” and “transparency” are buzzwords thrown around at any mention of public education funding, they are curiously absent in discussions around private school vouchers. In fact, voucher lobbyists (often funded by wealthy corporate donors) have fought hard against academic accountability for voucher schemes. Why? The results speak for themselves: *Studies in states like Ohio, Louisiana, D.C. and Indiana found that students who use private school vouchers actually end up performing worse on assessments as compared to their counterparts in public schools. *In many cases, achievement results did not improve over time, even after years. *In Nevada, private schools only reported proficiency data for 20% of Opportunity Scholarship voucher participants. *During the most recent legislative session, private schools lobbied against taking the same assessments required of public school students. Why not welcome the comparison if vouchers work?
Waste, Fraud, and Abuse
Voucher schemes throughout the country have been wrought with waste, fraud, and abuse. Some voucher programs, including the new federal voucher scheme, don't even have the necessary oversight to root out misconduct. Investigations and audits have uncovered: *Private schools enrolling “phantom” or ineligible students to receive more voucher funds (Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, D.C., others). *Owners creating “ghost schools” that abruptly shut down after the voucher payouts (Wisconsin); *Voucher recipients purchasing luxury items, vacations, and even Botox treatments rather educational services (Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, others); *Schools inflating tuition rates to benefit more from voucher funds (Indiana, others); and *Schools operating highly unqualified staff. The list goes on.... In Arizona, a failing charter school that had been shut down simply reopened the next school year as a private religious school operating with voucher funds. Will more schools see this as a strategy to avoid accountability around public funds? While it often feels as if nearly every dollar spent by public schools is analyzed and scrutinized, billions of dollars have been handed over to this scheme without a care.
Fighting Back
ENN and its partners have advocated against voucher schemes through legislative action, community outreach, and litigation. Learn more about these important efforts:
