They could have paid for my education

I like the idea of vouchers, and I wish we had them now. Maybe before I die...

The issue of whether public funds should be spent on vouchers for private schools is very complex. As with almost any complex issue, there is no perfect answer. I do, however, think vouchers are a good idea in the overall, despite any initial problems they would raise.

Our school systems face fundamental problems. While many public schools are good, many are not. Short of moving, parents have no control over which public school their children must attend. Private schools do offer an alternative, but they are often too expensive and parents still have to pay the taxes that provide funding for public education. Vouchers would help with this problem, lowering the cost of a private education by allowing parents to pay part of the tuition with state funds formerly set aside for public education.

Those against the voucher concept say that vouchers will only make things worse. They think that vouchers will take money away from public schools, hurting their ability to teach, and worsening the education of the students who continue to stay in the public education system. They also think that many parents will not take advantage of vouchers because private schools do not offer enough choices and often have a strong religious element.

While these arguments may be valid in the short term, I feel the school landscape will change once vouchers become available and render these arguments obsolete in a few years time.

First, even though most private schools are church affiliated, there is no fundamental reason why this must continue to be the case. It is only currently true because that is the type of school which is most in demand. Because vouchers will allow many more people to choose private school, I believe the market will change. Schools that teach in different ways, and concentrate on different goals, religious or not, will be created because the free market will want them.

Second, while public schools will see a drop in funds at first, the new competition should be good for them in the long run. The best schools will grow in both students and funds, and the worst will shrink, and perhaps even close. While the loss of some schools may not seem positive at first consideration, I think it may well be. If too few children are sent to a school to keep it open, then why waste funds on that school at all? The money could be better spent on schools that already provide a quality education.

Clearly the free market has worked well for the quality of education in our nation's college and university system, considered to be one of the best in the world. While there are a wide variety of private schools offering many different opportunities, there are also many public schools of very high quality. To a large extent, a very reasonable education is available for people with a wide range of interests and skills. The system’s main downfall is high price, precisely the issue vouchers try to address for private elementary and secondary schools.

In summation, I think that vouchers would cause some initial problems for public schools, but the public school system is, by some accounts, getting worse on its own, without the influence of vouchers. Something will have to be done to fix this. Why not do it now, and start improving the education of students around the country, before it reaches intolerable levels on its own!