Kansas Senators should go back to the drawing board with the education bill that provides families $5,000 a year per child for their education.
On Wednesday, members of the House approved a measure that diverts a possible $150 million in taxpayer funds from public schools so families can either go it alone with homeschooling or send their kids to a private school of their choosing.
The first option has more credibility. Curricula abound for families that are super devoted to teaching their children themselves.
Unfortunately, that’s not what legislators had in mind.
Our newly elected Rep. Fred Gardner, R-Garnett, said last week that his intention with voting for the bill is to give families who want their kids in private school, “and can do that,” more help in footing the bill. “Why would we shut that door?” he queried.
Three reasons:
1. A $5,000 check won’t pay for a year of private schooling. The average tuition in accredited private schools in Kansas is $9,000-plus. So in essence, these stipends will help those who already have substantial means — those who “can do that” — money that they don’t need. And it’s tax-free.
2, Taking funds away from our public schools will weaken them, exacerbating the division between those who have a good education and those that don’t. Legislators’ goals should be to give all children the best education possible — not just those with means.
3. Depleting state funds means there will be less for rural schools such as those in Allen County where families have no options but to send their children to public schools. This also means that rural taxpayers will be subsidizing the educations of urban students who select the private route.
REP. GARDNER said he also supports the measure because he’s read data that says students in private schools succeed at “approximately twice the rate of kids in the public school system.”
Multiple thoughts:
1. According to the Kansas Department of Education, low-income students have performed as well on state assessment tests as those born with silver spoons in their mouths over the past five years.
2. Rep. Gardner’s facts are skewed because private schools have a disproportionately low number of low-income and at-risk students. Private schools are not required to accept “all” students like public schools. But even with that ability to discriminate, statistics show that in 2021, in four of 10 cities, the students in public schools in Topeka, Kansas City, Atchison and Beloit performed better on state scores than those in their private school counterparts. It’s also worth noting that in Topeka public schools, almost 67% of students receive free and reduced-priced lunches.
3. The legislation makes no mention of requiring “qualified schools” to follow state education standards. Teachers at these “pop-up” schools would not be required to have college degrees or be credentialed, which according to Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, is not a problem. Taking a potshot at our teachers, Williams said, “Whether or not they have a license is probably not relevant to whether or not they are a good teacher.”
4. According to studies conducted in states that have recently introduced voucher programs, the results are not encouraging. Studies in Louisiana, Washington, D.C., Indiana, Alabama, Ohio and Illinois have all reported that students attending private schools reported either no significant improvement in their test scores or have, in fact, declined in performance. Voucher programs also did not increase rates of college enrollment.
5. Oversight of school voucher programs is frequently lacking. In Florida, a 2017 investigation by the Orlando Sentinel found that there was very little accountability of its $1 billion in school voucher money. As a result, unqualified teachers were hired, safety and health records were falsified and poorly performing schools faced no consequences.
PROVIDING financial incentives to lure families away from public schools does a disservice to their communities.
In 2019, local voters approved a $35 million bond issue that includes a new Iola Elementary School, a new science and technology center at Iola High School, and a new HVAC system at Iola Middle School. In Humboldt, voters last year approved a $17.5 million bond issue to renovate its schools.
