I generally focus on fiscal policy and I love low tax rates, so when I say that what happens on school choice in Douglas County, Colorado, may be more important to the future of the nation than what happens with Obama’s plan for higher tax rates next year, that should give you an idea of the critical importance of this education battle.
The union bosses at the National Education Association have been waging a vicious national campaign against competition and choice and have succeeded in limiting school choice to a handful of small systems (largely focused just on the poor) in places such as Milwaukee.
These are great success stories, but the government education monopoly won’t be broken until there is a big, highly visible, school choice success in a large, mostly white, jurisdiction. Douglas County is that example. Here’s an excerpt from a story in today’s Wall Street Journal.
The school board in a wealthy suburban county south of Denver is considering letting parents use public funds to send their children to private schools—or take classes with private teachers—in a bid to rethink public education. The proposals on the table in Douglas County constitute a bold step toward outsourcing a segment of public education…In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a case involving a voucher program in Cleveland that public money could be used for private religious schools as long as parents were not steered to any one particular faith-based program and had a “genuine choice” on where to use their vouchers. About 160,000 children in the U.S., mostly low-income or with special needs, use vouchers or scholarships subsidized indirectly by the state to attend private schools, according to the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. …Douglas County School District board members are also considering letting students enrolled in public schools opt out of some classes in favor of district-approved alternatives offered at for-profit schools or by private-sector instructors. Students might skip high-school Spanish, for example, to take an advanced seminar in Chinese, or bypass physics to study with a rocket scientist, in person or online. …The school board is dominated by conservatives, including several who won election last fall on vows to expand educational choices. “These days, you can build a custom computer. You can get a custom latte at Starbucks,” said board member Meghann Silverthorn. “Parents expect the same out of their educational system.” …Douglas County, a swath of tidy cul-de-sacs and look-alike subdivisions, already boasts nine charter schools, two magnet schools and an online school as well as 65 traditional schools—all funded by tax dollars. Students receive high scores on standardized tests and a recent community survey found overwhelmingly positive views about the public schools. Fewer than 4,000 students in the district chose private or home schools last year, according to state statistics. “But we will not rest on our laurels,” board president John Carson said at a recent meeting. …The voucher plan…would give participants about $5,000, enough to cover 35% to 100% of tuition at local private schools.
[…] than 10 years ago, I expressed great hope for school choice in Colorado and Pennsylvania, only to then be […]
[…] than 10 years ago, I expressed great hope for school choice in Colorado and Pennsylvania, only to then be […]
[…] More than 10 years ago, I was very hopeful that states such as Colorado and Pennsylvania would lead the school choice revolution. But that was back when […]
[…] More than 10 years ago, I was very hopeful that states such as Colorado and Pennsylvania would lead the school choice revolution. But that was back when there were a […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] state is poised to make progress on school choice (most recently in Pennsylvania and Colorado), the unions dump tons of money into campaigns so they can maintain their […]
[…] time I think a state is poised to make progress on school choice (most recently in Pennsylvania and Colorado), the unions dump tons of money into campaigns so they can maintain their […]
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[…] varying degrees of school choice in states such as Indiana, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida, Arizona, and […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] Over the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and Pennsylvania. […]
[…] the years, we’ve seen setbacks in states where we hoped for progress, such as Colorado and […]
Any school choice will soon be moot…Common Core is going to make ALL education ‘Common’. It will be required in public, private, parochial, and home schools. Passing the Common Core testing will be required before a Certificate of Graduation is awarded.
The Socialists in Washington D.C. will dictate what the Common Core tests are, and no one, not the State, County, School Board, or Teachers, will be able to change or alter them. They can ADD up to 15% more than the Socialists in D.C. require, but the curriculum cannot be changed.
The tests will all be given by Computer, and NO parent can ever see any of the tests, before or after given. This is a perfect set-up for INDOCTRINATION.
If Common Core Lives, Freedom Dies.
http://www.killcommoncore.com
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[…] a Virginia taxpayer, I suppose I should be happy. But it’s hard to get overly excited when other states are taking positive steps to bring choice and competition to education, and the best thing I can say about the Old Dominion […]
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[…] example comes from Colorado, which had displayed a libertarian streak on issues ranging from school choice to drug […]
[…] have implemented varying degrees of school choice in states such as Indiana, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida, Arizona, and even […]
[…] have implemented varying degrees of school choice in states such as Indiana, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida, Arizona, and even […]
[…] a Virginia taxpayer, I suppose I should be happy. But it’s hard to get overly excited when other states are taking positive steps to bring choice and competition to education, and the best thing I can say about the Old Dominion […]
[…] a Virginia taxpayer, I suppose I should be happy. But it’s hard to get overly excited when other states are taking positive steps to bring choice and competition to education, and the best thing I can say about the Old Dominion […]
[…] a Virginia taxpayer, I suppose I should be happy. But it’s hard to get overly excited when other states are taking positive steps to bring choice and competition to education, and the best thing I can say about the Old Dominion […]
[…] jurisdiction in the top 15 is Douglas County, Colorado. And given that these are the folks who are implementing a good school choice plan, it seems that we have a group of productive people who also believe in doing the right […]
[…] jurisdiction in the top 15 is Douglas County, Colorado. And given that these are the folks who are implementing a good school choice plan, it seems that we have a group of productive people who also believe in doing the right […]
[…] jurisdiction in the top 15 is Douglas County, Colorado. And given that these are the folks who are implementing a good school choice plan, it seems that we have a group of productive people who also believe in doing the right […]
[…] jurisdiction in the top 15 is Douglas County, Colorado. And given that these are the folks who are implementing a good school choice plan, it seems that we have a group of productive people who also believe in doing the right […]
[…] don’t think this is nearly as good as what’s being proposed in Douglas County, Colorado, but it’s a big step for a union-controlled state such as […]
[…] don’t think this is nearly as good as what’s being proposed in Douglas County, Colorado, but it’s a big step for a union-controlled state such as […]
[…] Institute scholar Dan Mitchell states that what happens with school choice in Douglas County is highly “important to the future of the […]
Thanks for solving my puzzle JL. To the extent that the $6000 per student cost covers all the costs eg. amortized cost of school buildings and land, interest cost on past school bonds, employee and retiree benefits, indirect tax breaks on public school operations etc., in other words, all costs that a comparable private school would have to cover from tuition, then indeed Colorado public schools seem to be doing a miraculously efficient job educating kids.
With private schools typically charging close to twice as much, I now realize what huge profit margins private schools must be operating under. Must be something of the order of 50 to 100%. Which makes them, of course, a stellar no brainer choice for spectacular low risk, low effort investment. It is too bad so few people realize what incredible money there is to be made in building, running and investing in private schools in Colorado. Another example of market failure, I guess. Huge easy profits waiting to be made, and somehow it just doesn’t happen.
To Zorba. The reason the voucher value is set at $5,000 in Doug Co is because Colorado ranks around 47th or 48th in the nation for per pupil revenue (PPR) allotment! You needed to do more research. http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/state-ranking-madness-who-spends-mostleast/
Interesting since Douglas County Colorado , according to Forbes magazine, is the 8th richest county in the nation. But their teachers do not make near the amount you no doubt think they do!
And overall, Colorado is a state much more affluent than many others. The PPR is just over $6,000 in Douglas County School District. Unfortunately I do not have the exact dollar amount available, I could not find it on the web. I would have at this time, to call the school district, and it is a Sunday. Suffice it to say, that explains the $5,000 voucher amount. Compare their PPR to many other school districts, I don’t know where you live, but you might compare it to where you live. Colorado you may find it worthwhile to hear, ranks very low on how much money goes to student public education. So your theory of teacher and bureaucrat salaries taking money away from students is DEAD WRONG.
There are many reasons why people are against the Douglas County Voucher Plan. Those who are, are not against school choice. Douglas County Schools are not failing, they are exemplary. With many choices already available as the article above states. Our state has also voted down vouchers more than once. I myself went to religious schools my entire life, from K-getting my M.A. My private religious school education had its strengths and weaknesses. There is NO such thing as a perfect school, public nor private. But Douglas County is an exemplary public school district as I mentioned. My best to you.
Why is the voucher value so low? With per student operational costs at public schools being around $12,000/year and the voucher paying only $5,000 there is a $7,000 differential that may – just may – go towards teacher and school bureaucrat salaries for every student that leaves the public school system.
The figures are perhaps indicative of how much it takes to buy the school monopoly out of the exclusive monopolistic grip they have on mandatory education funds.
The people of Douglas County are crazy,
It is a terrible idea to give up mandatory indoctrination to collectivism at an as early an age as possible.