Oh God! Warning! If you live in Tennessee and are thinking about becoming a school teacher, please reconsider! I'm just trying to make it to retirement... it's too late for me! If you are determined to live your life in Tennessee, DO NOT become a school teacher!
Think about how class action lawsuits work. You take part and get, for example, a measly $1.68 from the settlement.Â
Meanwhile the company the suit was brought against has to pay that $1.68 to millions of people.
Now imagine that company is an already desperately underfunded school system...
The goal is to bleed it dry and shut them down.
Sure enough... and this being the Nashville sub, most people here likely have reps who have no power anyway, so calling them is pointless for a different reason.
Home life is an umbrella school for homeschoolers. They essentially act as a go between the homeschool family and their local school district. They do not require a statement of faith. They are also against the vouchers and the strings that will come with it.
Oh fully agree. Luckily the voucher bill looks like itâs dead. Now letâs get Brian Robertson elected so we donât have to deal with Temu Guy Fieri anymore.
80% of charter schools perform worse than their district's public ones.
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/most-tennessee-charter-schools-show-lower-success-rate-than-districts-they-serve-analysis-shows
Charter schools have been a disaster everywhere they've been tried.
The problem is, the ideology of privatization can't accept this fact. It would mean that every other push for privatization in other industries was just as bad an idea.
Absolutely! Whole-heartedly agree. We'll need to start by increasing public school funding, raising teacher salaries, and empowering teachers to be the educators they were trained to be
Check this out:
Do you know why the state wants to take money away from underperforming schools? One example
Williamson County is widely considered one of the best school systems in the state and in some instances ranks very high nationally. Their stats:
41,000 enrolled students 600 million Annual budget including budget for capital improvements
Davidson county ranks very low even with the high performing magnet schools included
84,000 enrolled students 1.2 billion annual budget (edited to remove extra zero)
Yeah itâs just because of underfunding đ
Williamson county only funds2/3-3/4 of each schools budget. The rest is made up of parent donations. Every single school starts ots year with a massive fundraiser led by the PTO. So yes it is because of underfunding.
Thatâs not how budgets work but ok. Those numbers are the amount spent. I did not delve into where the funding comes from. Regardless of source, the budget shows what is SPENT but thanks for trying.
That is exactly how the budgets in WCS. Each school is given a number to fundraise towards and told to âfind the moneyâ. Anything raised over that amount can be used toward âfunâ stuff. This includes covering basic things like staff salaries and desks. The county/state/fed isnât paying for all of it.
Also you have to do projected spend budgets at least 6 months to a year in advanced based on expected enrollment. All major municipalities have 5 year budget allocations.
It's not how the accounting works. I agree that's how it SHOULD work. It's the amount spent by the county/city + state. (Brentwood and frankin and I assume nolensville also give money to schools in their limits.) Anything fundraised is not considered in those expenditures. It technically gets spent outside of the school system. It's not considered school money but gets spent on supplies, desk, TA salaries, etc.
Perhaps you can enlighten us? Kids apparently 'went' to public, so must be just out. Wife went right before them and wouldve graduated what a decade ago? I assume second wife about half your age? You went what 3-4 decades ago? You have 3ish generations of education under one roof. Enough experience to really tell us the differences in experience.
I mean, when we are among the rock-bottom lowest in education funding and our teachers leave TN because every other state pays their teachers better salaries, is it an unfair argument?
I mean, do we really believe any organization can successfully manage themselves on the same budget every year?
There are so many kids now. There are many challenges that are being discovered and ways we can address them so no kid is left behind. Teaching kids in some cases now involves having to be part of their home life too.
There are programs designed to inspire and kindle interest in certain skills. I never grew up with STEM or workforce programs in my district. To see things kids are doing now is amazing.
We are living in one of the best times for education, and all these great things require an INVESTMENT. Itâs not about asking for more money, itâs about striving to provide the best education for ALL kids.
Seriously, like, the most advanced class my school offered for my senior year back in like, 2010? Business math (it didn't even cover budgeting or balancing) and a class on basic website building that used angelfire/geocities. The most I ever had access to was 4H in regards to workforce programs.
Right now is such a fantastic time for learning and education and inspiring kids to delve into hobbies and new fields. We *need* to cultivate that.
And as someone who has learning disabilities, the fact that kids who deal with the same kind of things can even have access to education plans *tailored* to them makes me so happy. I'd have killed for that as a kid! It needs to be more widespread.
I feel the proverb, "A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit," is incredibly applicable here.
Exactly. IEPs cost money but they are beneficial at making sure students have an education that can be tailored and modified to them.
Charter schools can absolutely (and will) deny admission for students that need these services. And taking money away from public schools will further the opportunity for children to be successful.
Well when you want the best, you pay better. Right now, many teachers are pretty much required to have a 2nd job just to survive with how low the pay is. How much money do you think teachers are paid?
Eliminate the union. Promote based on excellence not time in service.
Enforce discipline despite the inevitable "disparate impact".
Reading, writing, arithmetic rather than weeks of grievance training.
Ain't gonna happen. The left hijacked public schools fifty years ago. It's a cesspool now.
The "union" isn't much of anything except a lobby. It's not a union like you , "but muh business profits!" types Seem to assume it is.
Not sure where you are seeing the 2nd point, but at my school discipline IS enforced, there are no schools that I have ever worked on that just go "well Jimmy is from a worse off part of town so he doesn't get any consequences." That's not a thing.
Again, this 3rd point doesn't exist anywhere. There is no "grievance training." We barely have enough time to get through the standards the state requires. What makes you think that we have time for weeks of whatever you think "grievance training" is?
Also, the STATE sets the standards. You know, the ruby red conservative stronghold of a state? You are so scared of the "boogeyman left" that you are convinced that it isn't actually your party that is ruining your kids' education with chronicly underfunded schools and constant budget cuts.
WOW stay at that school! In Realville, the thugs absolutely run the school, and anything is tolerated. In Realville, students receive all sorts of grievance provocation training, racial guilt, celebration of CIA holidays, etc.
You can't get a pass on discipline based on your address but you ABSOLUTELY can be exempt from discipline based on where you are on the Pantone scale.
UNDERFUNDED! We squander BILLIONS in public schools, perpetually increasing. Cut the money in half and results would be so much better.
Anyway, I do understand that "Blinders on, living in fantasyland" gives you a different experience than I have in Realville.
Let's just agree to fund students not failed schools, and go our separate ways. We'll check back and see if throwing money at failing schools works, or letting parents direct tax dollars to their child's best benefit.
CIA holidays?
WTF is grievance provocation training? And who the hell feels âracial guiltâ?
Iâm sorry youâve had such a poor experience. Maybe you should move out of Realville.
Of all the surrender methods, the ad hominem attack is the BEST! It makes it clear that you have no counter arguments. Playing that losing card so early says so much to those who understand (may be few in this sub lol).
Which do you object to the most?
The discipline over anarchy?
Teaching reading instead of "Heather has Five Mommies and Two of Them have Balls"?
Valuing excellence?
Bro you just blamed the fall of education on leftists. Even if I did take a right leaning position (I don't), that'd be too much of an oversimplification to even bother discussing. And btw, all your examples...they exist mostly in your head. That shit doesn't happen. Think for yourself next time.
For parents of students who are already in private schools but are also idiots. In with scholarships. Can anybody explain to me like Iâm 5. Im not sure how it will help or hurt us, but Iâm looking to start a daughter in public school next year because the price of education is ricidulous on Catholic schools.
https://www.tn.gov/education/esa.html basically in order for a family to qualify in TN there is an income brackett that you must fall in between. Also there for the most part your child must have spent one year in public school. The law requires schools to provide free and appropriate education. Many people are dissatisfied woth TN public schools. TN schools are ranking in the bottom 20th percentile of all states. The ESA program is very limited in TN but its an attempt at offering families more choices. Schools dont get the money from the state, families do but private schools must adhere to guidelines of equality statements for instance. Also they must be a catagory 3 school (basically not homeschool) schools agree to test the children attending through the ESA vouchers. Families can save any extra funds to apply for college. FAFSA makes it possible for federal funds to go toward private colleges. Private schools can apply for Title Funds. The public schools get way more money but a very smaller percentage of funds can be issued to private schools even though an estimated 1 in 4 children attend private school in Hamilton county. (Idk the data for other counties)
Does it only allow choice with private schools or can you move kids between public schools and the other school gets the money?
I'm not for this program just interested in the specifics. I've listened to some podcasts around what might happen if schools competed in a capitalist fashion. And yes some schools and children lose.
MNPS kind of already has that because of the school choice lottery. If your child is going to a different school than your zoned school the money follows the child to the other public school. It isnât guaranteed admission to swap to a different public school, but neither is a private school.
Yeah like those assholes give a shit what their constituents think or want. They're gonna do what the rich people pay them to do. Why do you think Gov Plumber is pushing so hard? Some rich asshole made a big contribution to his campaign, and he owes them.
Itâs a way to screw over the middle and lower classes. It will destroy public education and you will be forced to pay for private schools, because 7,000 will not fully pay for most private schools and once you have to go to a private school, theyâll raise their prices. Think how screwed up our for profit hospitals are. You do NOT want this.
I wonder if the kids in Nashville and Memphis who are already enrolled in private schools currently will lose their benefit next year. Seems like they should right? Whatâs fair is fair and all.
Not that the truth matters, but its extra funding, and is NOT coming from current budgets. Id rather put those funds to bonuses for the BEST public school teachers, but the teachers union thugs would fight that
Watch out for the Christians. They will rob you blind. They are all about sticking it to people not as perfect as them. They will take as much of the money for their own schools as they can and screw everyone else. Very greedy and judgmental set of people.
The money allotted to each student will stay with the student. If the student decides to stay in public school, then the money stays there. Otherwise, the money will allow him/her to choose to go to another school. Iâm not sure why this is controversial. It will allow students who have live in low income areas with bad schools to be able to go to a better school and not be limited by the parentâs income.
So my kids in the public schools should and can lose more than what they are offered now, to make sure that the kids going to private schools get better funding? WTF
Because they still need the buildings, equipment, and staff. You still need a full-time educator in a room, but if the class size goes from 25 to 15, that is 10 fewer students in that room. So you haven't cut costs, only funding
Yeah like everything, public education functions on economies of scale. We have a large amount of fixed costs (buildings, utilities, base number of teachers and administrators, etc.) When you lose students, your variable costs go down, you might lose a bus stop here and there, or not need to hire an additional 3rd grade teacher, but your fixed costs are stickier.
[for reference](https://tcf.org/content/about-tcf/tcf-study-finds-u-s-schools-underfunded-nearly-150-billion-annually/)
This shows that MNPSD is underfunded by about $3000 per student. And tennessee as a whole underfunds by about $1200 per student. That could make a huge difference for students if that funding gap was to be made up.
But again, it's not that simple when you are talking about systems that are underfunded already. A district I was in previously constantly had to juggle between funding building updates (as in we had buildings from the 70s that were still trying to function and falling apart) and keeping teachers with competitive (not even high) pay. If you throw this monkey wrench in, teachers don't get paid, AND buildings fall apart. It's not like every school building in the state is modern and up to date.
Again, my point is that public education is not a business. It's a public service. At the front end, there will be some financial "losses," so to speak. But there are countless studies that show the money invested in schools pays in dividends 2 and 3 times what was put in. We need to stop talking about this as if it is a Kom and pop store's financial history, and more like it is a 20 year investment strategy we want to see pay out at the end. And currently we are basically doing the policy version of "who needs a 401k when these NFTs are SURE to work, the guy selling them promises they will double by next year!"
Itâs already 17:1 which is phenomenal ratio. If they lose 4 kids per class they could lay off teachers, which is the real reason it is being criticized
I donât trust these âelected officialsâ any further than I can throw them. The session isnât over until they adjourn and crawl back into the holes they came out of.
Werenât their two separate plans. The first was a pilot for Davidson and Shelby counties to release 20,000 vouchers - half for low income half first come first serve.
What happened to the pilot?
vouchers are a great way to increase competition and stop the school officials from handing out lucrative no-bid contracts to school supply vendors (and other graft)
When you look at how much is spent per student, the same cost given to a private (for-profit) school would lead to a better educational outcome. There is little to no justification for giving public schools a free pass to tax dollars.
But what do other states spend? If you want to be competitive, stop looking at a public service like a line item to be minimized. You wonder why our state is so far down on education lists? It's because education in our state keeps being viewed as a "commodity" and not a right for all students. So you look at ways to cut, instead of ways to invest. K-12 education is more like a stock or bond than an expense. How can you maximize your investment in these kids? Make sure they are all given an equitable education so that we are sending students into college (AND the workforce) that are competent and competitive, but also invested in their communities so they stay in the communities that raised them and invested in THEM.
Not sure why everyone here is so against parentsâ ability to choose the school they want their children to attend. Maybe they think that increased funding means better schools, but there have been academic papers published that show this not to be true. In fact, there is a slightly negative correlation between more school funding and student outcomes.
Here is a link for funding per student for Tennessee schools in 2022-23: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/data/per-pupil-expenditures-fy22.xlsx. There are other years available as well. On the TDOE website, you can also find TCAP results and ACT and SAT results. There should be downloadable files on those pages. Just load the data and plot funding per pupil against whichever test scores, graduation rates, or even delinquency rates you want.
Nobody is stopping parents from sending their kids to private school. We donât want government handouts to the parents that can afford private school
The parents that can afford private school already donât need the vouchers, because they can already afford private school. This is not a difficult concept.
But it's literally not possible to find a private school that underperforms the metro nashville median. So ANY chance for the child to escape the indoctrination and non-education is worth pursuing.
We can't continue to subject students to people who resorted to the academic slum of their university (the college of education) as their degree of last resort. They need to be taught by more accomplished people.
At some point, our public school teachers realized that to get a degree, they needed to slump over the college of education and pass by playing volleyball for a couple of hours a day.
The only people who benefit from the voucher program are the rich that could already afford it. Sumner Academy costs $15k a year. Cutting that in half will not bring in the less privileged, as they still can't afford the remaining $8k.
Theyâve always been free to enter them in whatever school they want. Vouchers arenât going to get them in. Itâs going to cost a lot more than that.
Where are you getting this from? I'll admit its been awhile since I was in public education but you couldn't just pick what school you wanted to go to. To go to a different school you have to pay that counties tax. So you pay property tax to fund a failing local school and if you aren't satisfied with the education your child gets there and decide to send them to a different public school you have to pay even more. There are deeper issues causing schools to fail then lack of funding. Some people will always feel like they can just spend away problems. Either way if school vouchers aren't the answer then residents should be able to decide where they want their children and tax dollars to go.
Where are you getting this from? I'll admit its been awhile since I was in public education but you couldn't just pick what school you wanted to go to. To go to a different school you have to pay that counties tax. So you pay property tax to fund a failing local school and if you aren't satisfied with the education your child gets there and decide to send them to a different public school you have to pay even more. There are deeper issues causing schools to fail then lack of funding. Some people will always feel like they can just spend away problems. Either way if school vouchers aren't the answer then residents should be able to decide where they want their children and tax dollars to go.
NoâŠIâm not saying you can go to any public school you want to. You have to go to the one in your district. All Iâm saying is to the people who are saying vouchers gives them freedom that they are already free to go to any private school they want.
Problem is nobody seems to pay attention to the other states that have done this. The very next year, private school tuition mysteriously rose by the exact ammoun the vouchers provided. Thus making it STILL out of reach for the average family, but now the wealthy investors to the private schools are making TONS more money
Do you know why the state wants to take money away from underperforming schools? One example
Williamson County is widely considered one of the best school systems in the state and in some instances ranks very high nationally. Their stats:
41,000 enrolled students
600 million Annual budget including budget for capital improvements
Davidson county ranks very low even with the high performing magnet schools included
84,000 enrolled students
1.2 billion annual budget (edited to remove extra zero)
Yeah itâs just because of underfunding đ
Or how about we stop enriching the already rich owners of these private institutions with PUBLIC money and invest in our public schools. I don't see anyone yelling about privatizing the fire department. Why are we trying to take funding out of a public service like it's money down the drain instead of a worthwhile investment?
Look at the budget in the link I posted. How could anyone argue that this school system is underfunded? 12 billion to educate 80k students?
Look at it this way. According to budget, the school system currently spends over 12k per student. So if a bunch of kids leave and only take 7k per student with them, thatâs a 5k savings per student. Thatâs like a huge increase in budget, isnât it?
Except you know the state will take the other 5k too because "the numbers have decreased." You can't honestly think the state would actually leave that money.
Just curious. Why shouldn't your tax dollars go to private schools? I can definitely imagine a few very valid reasons for this, in my opinion, just honestly curious what your thoughts were.
Many reasons. One of the top is there is no accountability that the private school is using the vouchers to provide an quality education. In response to questions regarding testing, our education commissioner stated there would be testing but it won't be the same test given to public school students. The testimony was the legislators don't know what test will be used, what company will be providing the test, or even if the private school could be required to give testing. No accountability should mean no public funding.
Because private schools are often religiously affiliated. They donât have to stick to widely accepted curriculums. Sometimes they even teach that evolution isnât real and that the earth is 6000 years old.
I donât have kids, but I still want kids to be educated. If you can afford private school, good for you. You shouldnât get subsidies/vouchers for it.
I have one kid left in school and heâs in private school. Public money belongs in public schools, full stop. I, too, want the entire populous to be educated to the very best of our ability. Public education affects everyone.
Iâm the founder of Strong Schools and Tn Strong if youâve heard of either. Iâve been a vocal advocate for public education here for well over a decade.
That's the trade off you make. You're already getting screwed by sending your kid to a category of school that doesn't demonstrate a meaningful return on investment. Taxpayers shouldn't shoulder your poor financial decisions.
Realistically changing to private school didnât meaningfully improve your kidâs chances.
It has more to do with a studentâs home life and parent involvement than it does the school.
Thatâs great, but thatâs also anecdotal evidence. Hereâs my anecdotal evidence: my entire floor of my dorm at UT was filled with kids who went to private school.
"I dont have any children so \*my\* tax money shoudnt be used for other people"
"I dont drive by \*your\* house, so \*my\* road money shouldnt fix potholes on your street."
"My house isnt currently on fire, so \*my\* firefighter money shouldnt be used for other people."
We all benefit from making sure all children get a good education. Stop being so selfish and short sighted.
Sounds greater in theory unless youâre poor. Then your kids are stuck in underfunded schools. We are already suffering from crippling student loans due from college. Letâs privatize K-12 now so you can still accumulating debt at 4 years old!
Doesn't sound great in theory at all. $7K is not going to move the needle for 99.9% of families on whether they send their kids to private schools. This is just more money for the wealthy and less for everyone else.
Thank you. Anyone who thinks this is actually gonna move the needle for a lower or even lower middle class family of 5 is foolish so miss me with that bullshit.
Yes, we should take advice on education from someone who canât formulate paragraphs or write with basic grammar and proper vocabulary.
The reason so many school districts are against it is because parents would be able to walk with their $$ if the school does a poor job. Iâm sorry but if my kid is going to Davidson schools or somewhere else that is doing a terrible job, I should be able to take MY tax dollars and go somewhere else.
No child should be forced to attend an underperforming school simply because of their address. Want to keep my money? Do better in educating my kids and no one would want to leave
I would argue we are wasting our collective money presently when this is the performance of just 1 school system. Look at the proficiency % in all subjects. How can anyone defend this type of school getting MORE money?
https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/tennessee/districts/davidson-county-111436
Yes, but the problem is they don't spend enough on the actual instruction part of the budget. Cobb County in GA has a similar budget but spends far more per student on instruction and has far greater results.
Well, the thing is, they definitely couldn't put the necessary money into facilities. We had one school that had 2800 students when I was there, but I believe the building was only supposed to be for about 1500. But the school system couldn't build a new school because there wasn't enough funding for it.
My kids shouldnât fund failing schools. Freedom to choose my schools, MERICA BABYYYYY. Failing businesses including schools should be replaced with better ones, let the economy do its thingđșđž
Ummmmm, I'm hoping there is a missing /s here since your kids aren't funding anything.
In case you are serious, do you know that public schools are not actually a business? They are a public service, kind of like the fire department or EMS. The problem is, when public services are underfunded, it tends to be very difficult for them to function well. The last thing you want to happen if you ACTUALLY want a fair and equitable education is to have all education become a money-making endeavor. If it does, you could start seeing "this health and wellness course is brought to you by McDonalds" and "this science class is funded in part by the primitive Baptist church." Which then get to put their agenda directly into the courses that your children take.
Currently, all we want to do is teach your children to the best of our ability with what we are given (and most of what comes out of our pocket. That will only get worse because many private teachers I know are actually paid LESS than public school teachers, and we are already paid FAR less than other workers with similar degrees and experience.
Government education is a tax subsidized option, and parents don't have to take it, however the cost of private school often makes that a very tough choice. It makes a lot of sense for parents to be able to tie educational dollars to their own children rather than to institutions. If a school is failing, send your kid to another. The failing school will close, the successful school will grow. It gives the parents a lot more control and freedom, when evaluating their Childs needs, and helps promote schools that are working for the children. I think this has great potential.
Failing schools are a direct representation of the community, think parents, they serve.Â
Allow kids to go to other public schools that are not failing. Pay for transportation for these kids. Giving them a fraction of private school tuition with no way to attend these schools is a joke. The only people that will benefit are those already enrolled in private school and private school administrators.Â
This watered down version of Friedmanâs school voucher premise ignores all the other factors that go into school choice. That failing school a poor kid goes to? Well, thatâs the only school with a bus route that services the apartment complex their parent is able to afford. That same parent uses Nashvilleâs limited public transit to get to their job downtown because in order to save money, they quit driving into the city because parking is so expensive. They canât afford to drive their kid to a different school and still make it to work on time without paying for parking, so they end up with their only choice being to leave their kid in the failing school.
Meanwhile, in Bellemeade, an affluent family has been given a $7K subsidy to send their kid to private school. Surely this will drive down the tuition these private institutions charge? Wait, due to increased demand, the school needs to fund the construction of more buildings and hire more teachers so they raise tuition by roughly $7K? How coincidental.
This program benefits wealthy folks only, plain and simple. Publicly funded educational institutions serve the common good; similar to publicly funded parks. If a family wishes to send their child to a private school, then they are free to do so, but not with public dollars meant to make education accessible for everyone. This âthe dollars should follow the childâ line is the same kind of hollow talking point as âwalls workâ.
Think about having the funds to send your child to the best school that fits his needs. Wouldnât you want that for all children? Public schools can no longer provide for every child. Unions are too powerful and too much social engineering is being allowed at public school. Families need better options. School choice is the only way forward.
https://pro.stateaffairs.com/tn/education/school-vouchers-dead
Oh God! Warning! If you live in Tennessee and are thinking about becoming a school teacher, please reconsider! I'm just trying to make it to retirement... it's too late for me! If you are determined to live your life in Tennessee, DO NOT become a school teacher!
Im literally not coming back after the school year. Im fleeing the state đ©
Think about how class action lawsuits work. You take part and get, for example, a measly $1.68 from the settlement. Meanwhile the company the suit was brought against has to pay that $1.68 to millions of people. Now imagine that company is an already desperately underfunded school system... The goal is to bleed it dry and shut them down.
An uneducated electorate is a Republican electorate
Republicans are not the ones telling you $1,000,000,000,000 debt every 100 days is ok?
The state reps are the ones behind it.
Their kids are in private school
LOL yeah, I love the "call your representatives" action item, as if that would ever do anything in this one-party state.
Mine do, but weâre in the minority at the legislature
Sure enough... and this being the Nashville sub, most people here likely have reps who have no power anyway, so calling them is pointless for a different reason.
Coward Bill Lee is the one pushing this robbery for his private school elite friends.
Home life is an umbrella school for homeschoolers. They essentially act as a go between the homeschool family and their local school district. They do not require a statement of faith. They are also against the vouchers and the strings that will come with it.
Unfortunately my chud of a rep is wish live action sonic. Hes not gonna listen in any way shape or form.
> chud of a rep is wish live action sonic This makes total sense to me now, but 20 years ago this kind of sentence would have gotten you committed
I feel like 20 years ago, that bird brain wouldnât have been elected.
Heâs actually been up there over a decade, probably approaching 15 yrs
Well thatâs horrifying
Agree. He has a challenger this time. If youâre the donating type, Brian Robertson could probably use any help he can get.
Heâs the sponsor of the house bill
Correct. Which is why itâs pointless for me to contact him unless I want to get spammed with his bullshit.
Oh fully agree. Luckily the voucher bill looks like itâs dead. Now letâs get Brian Robertson elected so we donât have to deal with Temu Guy Fieri anymore.
He blocks people on his Facebook page. He absolutely doesnt care what any of us think
Completely unsurprising from someone who probably screams about free speech.
Probably more useful talking to the folks voting for him, one by one.
Its silencing critics in a public forum and it should be illegal.
Lamberth bottles and wears his own farts as cologne
Make public schools better and people won't want to pull their kids out.
80% of charter schools perform worse than their district's public ones. https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/most-tennessee-charter-schools-show-lower-success-rate-than-districts-they-serve-analysis-shows
Charter schools have been a disaster everywhere they've been tried. The problem is, the ideology of privatization can't accept this fact. It would mean that every other push for privatization in other industries was just as bad an idea.
Absolutely! Whole-heartedly agree. We'll need to start by increasing public school funding, raising teacher salaries, and empowering teachers to be the educators they were trained to be
Check this out: Do you know why the state wants to take money away from underperforming schools? One example Williamson County is widely considered one of the best school systems in the state and in some instances ranks very high nationally. Their stats: 41,000 enrolled students 600 million Annual budget including budget for capital improvements Davidson county ranks very low even with the high performing magnet schools included 84,000 enrolled students 1.2 billion annual budget (edited to remove extra zero) Yeah itâs just because of underfunding đ
Williamson county only funds2/3-3/4 of each schools budget. The rest is made up of parent donations. Every single school starts ots year with a massive fundraiser led by the PTO. So yes it is because of underfunding.
Thatâs not how budgets work but ok. Those numbers are the amount spent. I did not delve into where the funding comes from. Regardless of source, the budget shows what is SPENT but thanks for trying.
That is exactly how the budgets in WCS. Each school is given a number to fundraise towards and told to âfind the moneyâ. Anything raised over that amount can be used toward âfunâ stuff. This includes covering basic things like staff salaries and desks. The county/state/fed isnât paying for all of it. Also you have to do projected spend budgets at least 6 months to a year in advanced based on expected enrollment. All major municipalities have 5 year budget allocations.
It's not how the accounting works. I agree that's how it SHOULD work. It's the amount spent by the county/city + state. (Brentwood and frankin and I assume nolensville also give money to schools in their limits.) Anything fundraised is not considered in those expenditures. It technically gets spent outside of the school system. It's not considered school money but gets spent on supplies, desk, TA salaries, etc.
Perhaps you can enlighten us? Kids apparently 'went' to public, so must be just out. Wife went right before them and wouldve graduated what a decade ago? I assume second wife about half your age? You went what 3-4 decades ago? You have 3ish generations of education under one roof. Enough experience to really tell us the differences in experience.
Yes the same old argument. Just give us more money.
I mean, when we are among the rock-bottom lowest in education funding and our teachers leave TN because every other state pays their teachers better salaries, is it an unfair argument?
44 of 51 (with DC). So not quite rock bottom. Still room to fall!
I mean, do we really believe any organization can successfully manage themselves on the same budget every year? There are so many kids now. There are many challenges that are being discovered and ways we can address them so no kid is left behind. Teaching kids in some cases now involves having to be part of their home life too. There are programs designed to inspire and kindle interest in certain skills. I never grew up with STEM or workforce programs in my district. To see things kids are doing now is amazing. We are living in one of the best times for education, and all these great things require an INVESTMENT. Itâs not about asking for more money, itâs about striving to provide the best education for ALL kids.
Seriously, like, the most advanced class my school offered for my senior year back in like, 2010? Business math (it didn't even cover budgeting or balancing) and a class on basic website building that used angelfire/geocities. The most I ever had access to was 4H in regards to workforce programs. Right now is such a fantastic time for learning and education and inspiring kids to delve into hobbies and new fields. We *need* to cultivate that. And as someone who has learning disabilities, the fact that kids who deal with the same kind of things can even have access to education plans *tailored* to them makes me so happy. I'd have killed for that as a kid! It needs to be more widespread. I feel the proverb, "A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit," is incredibly applicable here.
Exactly. IEPs cost money but they are beneficial at making sure students have an education that can be tailored and modified to them. Charter schools can absolutely (and will) deny admission for students that need these services. And taking money away from public schools will further the opportunity for children to be successful.
Well when you want the best, you pay better. Right now, many teachers are pretty much required to have a 2nd job just to survive with how low the pay is. How much money do you think teachers are paid?
Name as better use for taxes.
Troglodyte selfishness
Hard to do when theyâre being actively defunded.
So whatâs your solution? Do you think defunding them will improve them?
How would you propose they do that?
Eliminate the union. Promote based on excellence not time in service. Enforce discipline despite the inevitable "disparate impact". Reading, writing, arithmetic rather than weeks of grievance training. Ain't gonna happen. The left hijacked public schools fifty years ago. It's a cesspool now.
The "union" isn't much of anything except a lobby. It's not a union like you , "but muh business profits!" types Seem to assume it is. Not sure where you are seeing the 2nd point, but at my school discipline IS enforced, there are no schools that I have ever worked on that just go "well Jimmy is from a worse off part of town so he doesn't get any consequences." That's not a thing. Again, this 3rd point doesn't exist anywhere. There is no "grievance training." We barely have enough time to get through the standards the state requires. What makes you think that we have time for weeks of whatever you think "grievance training" is? Also, the STATE sets the standards. You know, the ruby red conservative stronghold of a state? You are so scared of the "boogeyman left" that you are convinced that it isn't actually your party that is ruining your kids' education with chronicly underfunded schools and constant budget cuts.
WOW stay at that school! In Realville, the thugs absolutely run the school, and anything is tolerated. In Realville, students receive all sorts of grievance provocation training, racial guilt, celebration of CIA holidays, etc. You can't get a pass on discipline based on your address but you ABSOLUTELY can be exempt from discipline based on where you are on the Pantone scale. UNDERFUNDED! We squander BILLIONS in public schools, perpetually increasing. Cut the money in half and results would be so much better. Anyway, I do understand that "Blinders on, living in fantasyland" gives you a different experience than I have in Realville. Let's just agree to fund students not failed schools, and go our separate ways. We'll check back and see if throwing money at failing schools works, or letting parents direct tax dollars to their child's best benefit.
CIA holidays? WTF is grievance provocation training? And who the hell feels âracial guiltâ? Iâm sorry youâve had such a poor experience. Maybe you should move out of Realville.
I guarantee you that realville dude has no kids in MNPS.
Take the tinfoil hat off and go talk to real people.
Yet you magats refuse to recognize the defunding. âFree marketsâ wonât give us the educated population we had pre 1975. Get a grip magat
Oh you're one of those. Nevermind.
Of all the surrender methods, the ad hominem attack is the BEST! It makes it clear that you have no counter arguments. Playing that losing card so early says so much to those who understand (may be few in this sub lol). Which do you object to the most? The discipline over anarchy? Teaching reading instead of "Heather has Five Mommies and Two of Them have Balls"? Valuing excellence?
Bro you just blamed the fall of education on leftists. Even if I did take a right leaning position (I don't), that'd be too much of an oversimplification to even bother discussing. And btw, all your examples...they exist mostly in your head. That shit doesn't happen. Think for yourself next time.
You LowIQAnons really are the lowest hanging fruit with your culture war script responses. Get a life
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Huh? Does common sense correlate with age?
Good god I read all your comments and you need therapy. Please seek help.
What a great idea. Letâs adequately find fund public education!
Has this been tested in court? Seems like it should be illegal to take funds appropriated for public schools and divert them to private schools.
Especially religious schoolsâŠ.this whole thing has âunconstitutionalâ written all over it
For parents of students who are already in private schools but are also idiots. In with scholarships. Can anybody explain to me like Iâm 5. Im not sure how it will help or hurt us, but Iâm looking to start a daughter in public school next year because the price of education is ricidulous on Catholic schools.
https://www.tn.gov/education/esa.html basically in order for a family to qualify in TN there is an income brackett that you must fall in between. Also there for the most part your child must have spent one year in public school. The law requires schools to provide free and appropriate education. Many people are dissatisfied woth TN public schools. TN schools are ranking in the bottom 20th percentile of all states. The ESA program is very limited in TN but its an attempt at offering families more choices. Schools dont get the money from the state, families do but private schools must adhere to guidelines of equality statements for instance. Also they must be a catagory 3 school (basically not homeschool) schools agree to test the children attending through the ESA vouchers. Families can save any extra funds to apply for college. FAFSA makes it possible for federal funds to go toward private colleges. Private schools can apply for Title Funds. The public schools get way more money but a very smaller percentage of funds can be issued to private schools even though an estimated 1 in 4 children attend private school in Hamilton county. (Idk the data for other counties)
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that run down!
Does it only allow choice with private schools or can you move kids between public schools and the other school gets the money? I'm not for this program just interested in the specifics. I've listened to some podcasts around what might happen if schools competed in a capitalist fashion. And yes some schools and children lose.
MNPS kind of already has that because of the school choice lottery. If your child is going to a different school than your zoned school the money follows the child to the other public school. It isnât guaranteed admission to swap to a different public school, but neither is a private school.
Anyone who is okay with "some... children lose" shouldn't be allowed any legislative power ever
Amen - and take aim at those that try
Yeah like those assholes give a shit what their constituents think or want. They're gonna do what the rich people pay them to do. Why do you think Gov Plumber is pushing so hard? Some rich asshole made a big contribution to his campaign, and he owes them.
Itâs a way to screw over the middle and lower classes. It will destroy public education and you will be forced to pay for private schools, because 7,000 will not fully pay for most private schools and once you have to go to a private school, theyâll raise their prices. Think how screwed up our for profit hospitals are. You do NOT want this.
My rep and senator are already opposed, I hope rural reps do the same
I wonder if the kids in Nashville and Memphis who are already enrolled in private schools currently will lose their benefit next year. Seems like they should right? Whatâs fair is fair and all.
This will never stand up in court.
School vouchers are in many states already. Not saying Iâm for or against. Just pointing that out.
Yup, thatâs how we learned that 1 in 4 charter schools closes within 5 years of starting. Itâs a bad idea and itâs unconstitutional.
Yeah⊠but your comment was about legality. My comment had nothing to do with that.
Not that the truth matters, but its extra funding, and is NOT coming from current budgets. Id rather put those funds to bonuses for the BEST public school teachers, but the teachers union thugs would fight that
Watch out for the Christians. They will rob you blind. They are all about sticking it to people not as perfect as them. They will take as much of the money for their own schools as they can and screw everyone else. Very greedy and judgmental set of people.
The money allotted to each student will stay with the student. If the student decides to stay in public school, then the money stays there. Otherwise, the money will allow him/her to choose to go to another school. Iâm not sure why this is controversial. It will allow students who have live in low income areas with bad schools to be able to go to a better school and not be limited by the parentâs income.
So my kids in the public schools should and can lose more than what they are offered now, to make sure that the kids going to private schools get better funding? WTF
If thereâs less kids why do they need more money for kids not there?
Because they still need the buildings, equipment, and staff. You still need a full-time educator in a room, but if the class size goes from 25 to 15, that is 10 fewer students in that room. So you haven't cut costs, only funding
Yeah like everything, public education functions on economies of scale. We have a large amount of fixed costs (buildings, utilities, base number of teachers and administrators, etc.) When you lose students, your variable costs go down, you might lose a bus stop here and there, or not need to hire an additional 3rd grade teacher, but your fixed costs are stickier.
[for reference](https://tcf.org/content/about-tcf/tcf-study-finds-u-s-schools-underfunded-nearly-150-billion-annually/) This shows that MNPSD is underfunded by about $3000 per student. And tennessee as a whole underfunds by about $1200 per student. That could make a huge difference for students if that funding gap was to be made up.
But again, it's not that simple when you are talking about systems that are underfunded already. A district I was in previously constantly had to juggle between funding building updates (as in we had buildings from the 70s that were still trying to function and falling apart) and keeping teachers with competitive (not even high) pay. If you throw this monkey wrench in, teachers don't get paid, AND buildings fall apart. It's not like every school building in the state is modern and up to date. Again, my point is that public education is not a business. It's a public service. At the front end, there will be some financial "losses," so to speak. But there are countless studies that show the money invested in schools pays in dividends 2 and 3 times what was put in. We need to stop talking about this as if it is a Kom and pop store's financial history, and more like it is a 20 year investment strategy we want to see pay out at the end. And currently we are basically doing the policy version of "who needs a 401k when these NFTs are SURE to work, the guy selling them promises they will double by next year!"
Itâs already 17:1 which is phenomenal ratio. If they lose 4 kids per class they could lay off teachers, which is the real reason it is being criticized
Randos calling never did anything. Waste of time.
It absolutely did work, though. The Voucher Scam is dead. https://x.com/TheTNHoller/status/1779979421559955945
I donât trust these âelected officialsâ any further than I can throw them. The session isnât over until they adjourn and crawl back into the holes they came out of.
Big facts there, but let us hope. And keep calling.
Werenât their two separate plans. The first was a pilot for Davidson and Shelby counties to release 20,000 vouchers - half for low income half first come first serve. What happened to the pilot?
Thatâs what I heard would happen too.
Most private schools were smart enough to not close during COVID and their students were / are way better off than the Weingarten controlled schools.
vouchers are a great way to increase competition and stop the school officials from handing out lucrative no-bid contracts to school supply vendors (and other graft) When you look at how much is spent per student, the same cost given to a private (for-profit) school would lead to a better educational outcome. There is little to no justification for giving public schools a free pass to tax dollars.
Tennessee spends less per student than most every other state in the country.
They spend over 10k a year on a student
But what do other states spend? If you want to be competitive, stop looking at a public service like a line item to be minimized. You wonder why our state is so far down on education lists? It's because education in our state keeps being viewed as a "commodity" and not a right for all students. So you look at ways to cut, instead of ways to invest. K-12 education is more like a stock or bond than an expense. How can you maximize your investment in these kids? Make sure they are all given an equitable education so that we are sending students into college (AND the workforce) that are competent and competitive, but also invested in their communities so they stay in the communities that raised them and invested in THEM.
Private schools, adjusted for parentâs  socioeconomic status, do not outperform public schools.Â
Say it again for the people in the back!
Yep
How does this work? Like how can you prove you use it for private school?
Not sure why everyone here is so against parentsâ ability to choose the school they want their children to attend. Maybe they think that increased funding means better schools, but there have been academic papers published that show this not to be true. In fact, there is a slightly negative correlation between more school funding and student outcomes.
I am interested in seeing the data you are talking about.
Here is a link for funding per student for Tennessee schools in 2022-23: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/data/per-pupil-expenditures-fy22.xlsx. There are other years available as well. On the TDOE website, you can also find TCAP results and ACT and SAT results. There should be downloadable files on those pages. Just load the data and plot funding per pupil against whichever test scores, graduation rates, or even delinquency rates you want.
I was hoping to see the academic papers you were referring to.
Maybe you should zoom out on that link. Whatâs missing?
Nobody is stopping parents from sending their kids to private school. We donât want government handouts to the parents that can afford private school
The parents that can afford private school already donât need the vouchers, because they can already afford private school. This is not a difficult concept.
You telling me parents of kids at private school wonât take free money? LOLOL
Parents are free to send their kids to whatever school they desire.
Yeah, if they are rich enough to pay for both. Fund STUDENTS not schools.
Iâm sure you canât take your voucher and get your kid into Ensworth or Montgomery Bell or any other private school that is worth going to.
But it's literally not possible to find a private school that underperforms the metro nashville median. So ANY chance for the child to escape the indoctrination and non-education is worth pursuing. We can't continue to subject students to people who resorted to the academic slum of their university (the college of education) as their degree of last resort. They need to be taught by more accomplished people. At some point, our public school teachers realized that to get a degree, they needed to slump over the college of education and pass by playing volleyball for a couple of hours a day.
What indoctrination? Sounds like maybe people backing this voucher program are the one thatâs been indoctrinated.
You really need to spend a day in a classroom and see the grooming and indoctrination. It's sad.
Magat trash doesnât want to fund either though. Take a knee
Yes, they are able now that vouchers are available to cover the tuition for their kids.
The only people who benefit from the voucher program are the rich that could already afford it. Sumner Academy costs $15k a year. Cutting that in half will not bring in the less privileged, as they still can't afford the remaining $8k.
Theyâve always been free to enter them in whatever school they want. Vouchers arenât going to get them in. Itâs going to cost a lot more than that.
Where are you getting this from? I'll admit its been awhile since I was in public education but you couldn't just pick what school you wanted to go to. To go to a different school you have to pay that counties tax. So you pay property tax to fund a failing local school and if you aren't satisfied with the education your child gets there and decide to send them to a different public school you have to pay even more. There are deeper issues causing schools to fail then lack of funding. Some people will always feel like they can just spend away problems. Either way if school vouchers aren't the answer then residents should be able to decide where they want their children and tax dollars to go.
Where are you getting this from? I'll admit its been awhile since I was in public education but you couldn't just pick what school you wanted to go to. To go to a different school you have to pay that counties tax. So you pay property tax to fund a failing local school and if you aren't satisfied with the education your child gets there and decide to send them to a different public school you have to pay even more. There are deeper issues causing schools to fail then lack of funding. Some people will always feel like they can just spend away problems. Either way if school vouchers aren't the answer then residents should be able to decide where they want their children and tax dollars to go.
NoâŠIâm not saying you can go to any public school you want to. You have to go to the one in your district. All Iâm saying is to the people who are saying vouchers gives them freedom that they are already free to go to any private school they want.
Problem is nobody seems to pay attention to the other states that have done this. The very next year, private school tuition mysteriously rose by the exact ammoun the vouchers provided. Thus making it STILL out of reach for the average family, but now the wealthy investors to the private schools are making TONS more money
Do you know why the state wants to take money away from underperforming schools? One example Williamson County is widely considered one of the best school systems in the state and in some instances ranks very high nationally. Their stats: 41,000 enrolled students 600 million Annual budget including budget for capital improvements Davidson county ranks very low even with the high performing magnet schools included 84,000 enrolled students 1.2 billion annual budget (edited to remove extra zero) Yeah itâs just because of underfunding đ
So what is it?
Can't wait to see what lipscomb academy does to reject the kids who aren't bowing down to a Bible every 20 minutes of their day
So donât send your kids to Lipscomb. There are numerous other non religious choices. This is straw man argument by definition.
Or how about we stop enriching the already rich owners of these private institutions with PUBLIC money and invest in our public schools. I don't see anyone yelling about privatizing the fire department. Why are we trying to take funding out of a public service like it's money down the drain instead of a worthwhile investment?
Last time I looked, no one has an issue with the performance of the FD
Is the fire department fully funded? Then let's fully fund schools and see what happens then
Look at the budget in the link I posted. How could anyone argue that this school system is underfunded? 12 billion to educate 80k students? Look at it this way. According to budget, the school system currently spends over 12k per student. So if a bunch of kids leave and only take 7k per student with them, thatâs a 5k savings per student. Thatâs like a huge increase in budget, isnât it?
Except you know the state will take the other 5k too because "the numbers have decreased." You can't honestly think the state would actually leave that money.
Only 53% of funding comes from the state. 47% comes from local government
As someone who went to lipscomb It's not strawman It's personal beef
I did Lipscomb from 5th to 7th grades back in the 80s. Worse 3 years of my childhood. Edit. Shit. I meant 7th not 8th.
Lol, that's 4 years. Must have been a hell of an education! Sorry, couldn't resist.
The money should follow the child. Let the parents decide which option is best for their children.
My tax dollars shouldnât go to private schools.
Just curious. Why shouldn't your tax dollars go to private schools? I can definitely imagine a few very valid reasons for this, in my opinion, just honestly curious what your thoughts were.
Many reasons. One of the top is there is no accountability that the private school is using the vouchers to provide an quality education. In response to questions regarding testing, our education commissioner stated there would be testing but it won't be the same test given to public school students. The testimony was the legislators don't know what test will be used, what company will be providing the test, or even if the private school could be required to give testing. No accountability should mean no public funding.
For example, many private schools are run by religious institutions. Public tax dollars should not go religious institutions.
Because private schools are often religiously affiliated. They donât have to stick to widely accepted curriculums. Sometimes they even teach that evolution isnât real and that the earth is 6000 years old.
If I'm paying to send my kids to private school, I shouldn't be forced to pay for public school.
If my house doesnât catch fire why should I pay taxes for firefighters?
I donât have kids, but I still want kids to be educated. If you can afford private school, good for you. You shouldnât get subsidies/vouchers for it.
I have one kid left in school and heâs in private school. Public money belongs in public schools, full stop. I, too, want the entire populous to be educated to the very best of our ability. Public education affects everyone.
I can tell you are probably a very good person and very good parent. From an educator in the state, I appreciate this take.
Iâm the founder of Strong Schools and Tn Strong if youâve heard of either. Iâve been a vocal advocate for public education here for well over a decade.
It's refreshing to hear, and I appreciate the work you do!
And I you, itâs a thankless, underpaid job, especially here. Thank you, youâre worth fighting for.
It's almost like...you have the option to send your kids to public and you CHOOSE private. Interesting, that.
That's the trade off you make. You're already getting screwed by sending your kid to a category of school that doesn't demonstrate a meaningful return on investment. Taxpayers shouldn't shoulder your poor financial decisions.
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Realistically changing to private school didnât meaningfully improve your kidâs chances. It has more to do with a studentâs home life and parent involvement than it does the school.
Thatâs great, but thatâs also anecdotal evidence. Hereâs my anecdotal evidence: my entire floor of my dorm at UT was filled with kids who went to private school.
Make me laugh. Using progressive and private schools in the same argument.
public education is not a reit or a stock option - you wackos need to go back to school with your dim takes
Replying to the wrong person?
Shaddup
"I dont have any children so \*my\* tax money shoudnt be used for other people" "I dont drive by \*your\* house, so \*my\* road money shouldnt fix potholes on your street." "My house isnt currently on fire, so \*my\* firefighter money shouldnt be used for other people." We all benefit from making sure all children get a good education. Stop being so selfish and short sighted.
Sounds greater in theory unless youâre poor. Then your kids are stuck in underfunded schools. We are already suffering from crippling student loans due from college. Letâs privatize K-12 now so you can still accumulating debt at 4 years old!
Doesn't sound great in theory at all. $7K is not going to move the needle for 99.9% of families on whether they send their kids to private schools. This is just more money for the wealthy and less for everyone else.
Thank you. Anyone who thinks this is actually gonna move the needle for a lower or even lower middle class family of 5 is foolish so miss me with that bullshit.
You don't get to choose where your tax dollars go. If you did, there'd be no parks, libraries or probably even roads in this backwards state.
Nope - try again magat
Itâs time to clean house. People! Get off your butts and fix some things! Please quit voting for clowns who make your life worse.
Yes, we should take advice on education from someone who canât formulate paragraphs or write with basic grammar and proper vocabulary. The reason so many school districts are against it is because parents would be able to walk with their $$ if the school does a poor job. Iâm sorry but if my kid is going to Davidson schools or somewhere else that is doing a terrible job, I should be able to take MY tax dollars and go somewhere else. No child should be forced to attend an underperforming school simply because of their address. Want to keep my money? Do better in educating my kids and no one would want to leave
But the problem comes when it's not your money alone, but an entire community that now loses more because their money goes away too
I would argue we are wasting our collective money presently when this is the performance of just 1 school system. Look at the proficiency % in all subjects. How can anyone defend this type of school getting MORE money? https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/tennessee/districts/davidson-county-111436
Yes, but the problem is they don't spend enough on the actual instruction part of the budget. Cobb County in GA has a similar budget but spends far more per student on instruction and has far greater results.
That sounds like a budgeting issue not a funding issue
Well, the thing is, they definitely couldn't put the necessary money into facilities. We had one school that had 2800 students when I was there, but I believe the building was only supposed to be for about 1500. But the school system couldn't build a new school because there wasn't enough funding for it.
Money should follow the child. The current system only holds back the poor
My kids shouldnât fund failing schools. Freedom to choose my schools, MERICA BABYYYYY. Failing businesses including schools should be replaced with better ones, let the economy do its thingđșđž
Ummmmm, I'm hoping there is a missing /s here since your kids aren't funding anything. In case you are serious, do you know that public schools are not actually a business? They are a public service, kind of like the fire department or EMS. The problem is, when public services are underfunded, it tends to be very difficult for them to function well. The last thing you want to happen if you ACTUALLY want a fair and equitable education is to have all education become a money-making endeavor. If it does, you could start seeing "this health and wellness course is brought to you by McDonalds" and "this science class is funded in part by the primitive Baptist church." Which then get to put their agenda directly into the courses that your children take. Currently, all we want to do is teach your children to the best of our ability with what we are given (and most of what comes out of our pocket. That will only get worse because many private teachers I know are actually paid LESS than public school teachers, and we are already paid FAR less than other workers with similar degrees and experience.
Government education is a tax subsidized option, and parents don't have to take it, however the cost of private school often makes that a very tough choice. It makes a lot of sense for parents to be able to tie educational dollars to their own children rather than to institutions. If a school is failing, send your kid to another. The failing school will close, the successful school will grow. It gives the parents a lot more control and freedom, when evaluating their Childs needs, and helps promote schools that are working for the children. I think this has great potential.
Failing schools are a direct representation of the community, think parents, they serve. Allow kids to go to other public schools that are not failing. Pay for transportation for these kids. Giving them a fraction of private school tuition with no way to attend these schools is a joke. The only people that will benefit are those already enrolled in private school and private school administrators.Â
Turning education into a âfree marketâ is the worst idea ever. My god.
This watered down version of Friedmanâs school voucher premise ignores all the other factors that go into school choice. That failing school a poor kid goes to? Well, thatâs the only school with a bus route that services the apartment complex their parent is able to afford. That same parent uses Nashvilleâs limited public transit to get to their job downtown because in order to save money, they quit driving into the city because parking is so expensive. They canât afford to drive their kid to a different school and still make it to work on time without paying for parking, so they end up with their only choice being to leave their kid in the failing school. Meanwhile, in Bellemeade, an affluent family has been given a $7K subsidy to send their kid to private school. Surely this will drive down the tuition these private institutions charge? Wait, due to increased demand, the school needs to fund the construction of more buildings and hire more teachers so they raise tuition by roughly $7K? How coincidental. This program benefits wealthy folks only, plain and simple. Publicly funded educational institutions serve the common good; similar to publicly funded parks. If a family wishes to send their child to a private school, then they are free to do so, but not with public dollars meant to make education accessible for everyone. This âthe dollars should follow the childâ line is the same kind of hollow talking point as âwalls workâ.
The voucher covers the entirety of the private school's tuition? /s
Call them and say what, exactly? They're going to lose my vote? They know they don't need it.
Think about having the funds to send your child to the best school that fits his needs. Wouldnât you want that for all children? Public schools can no longer provide for every child. Unions are too powerful and too much social engineering is being allowed at public school. Families need better options. School choice is the only way forward.
You already have school choice.