LA backs vouchers, Congress works to kill them
The Louisiana legislature has approved a school voucher program for New Orleans:
In a major legislative success for Gov. Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana Senate voted 25-12 Wednesday for a bill that would let up to 1,500 low- to middle-income students in New Orleans attend private schools at taxpayer expense.This comes as Democrats in Congress attempt to kill the school voucher program in the District of Columbia.Already approved by the House, the school voucher bill by Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, needs one more routine vote in that body on Senate language changes before it goes to Jindal for his signature.
Backers say the bill will help at least some New Orleans children escape a struggling school system, widely known for corruption, bad management and poor student performance before and after Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. Opponents point to recent improvements in New Orleans public schools that have been realized since the state and various charter organizations began running them after the hurricane. They say the $10 million would be better spent on public schools.
Comments
Liberals (i.e. Socialists) of every stripe cannot stand the thought of any possible loss of control in a government monopoly.
It is sickening. They cannot and will not accept accountability as a worthwhile factor.
Government schools, as we know, is the way to capture the young mind and mold it. Take that away and they are left with a biased press -- which kids do not read.
Somebody remind me where in the Constitution the country is guaranteed publicly funded schools. While an "educated" population is a benefit, the aspects of controlling a monopolistic empire violates any sense of being being American.
Posted by: Larry Stanley | June 12, 2008 09:45 PM
I'm all for school choice but I've always had an issue with the idea of vouchers and this story brings it to light-
"a bill that would let up to 1,500 low- to middle-income students in New Orleans attend private schools at taxpayer expense."
Again, I'm in favor of school choice but it just seems wrong to me that a program like this is limited to a certain group of students when all taxpayers are paying for it. Say what you will about the public school school system but (in theory) they give all children in a given area equal access to education. If a parent chooses to give their child access to a better education through a private school they can do so but it shouldn't be up to the government to define who deserves it.
Posted by: William Satterwhite | June 12, 2008 11:18 PM