Private school vouchers cost our county public schools 1.75 million.

[madfloridian]

My tax money is going to private schools, and I am not allowed to know who these kids are if there are less than 11 in one private school. Tell me this is ok.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040806/NEWS/408060356/1039/last14days

SNIP..."Audra Curts-Whann, director of finance for Polk schools, said that the combined loss of students between McKay and CTC scholarships is equal to a loss of $1.75 million in revenue.

"That's how much our funding was reduced for those things paid out elsewhere."

SNIP..."Jack English, chairman of the Polk County School Board, said that besides the money, there is also an accountability problem in vouchers.

"Vouchers have always concerned me," he said. "To take the taxpayers' money and change the oversight responsibility concerns me."

He said that the oversight of vouchers is now in the hands of whomever doles them out -- the state in the case of McKay vouchers and the scholarship funding organizations such as Florida PRIDE in Tampa in the case of the CTC scholarships. He said part of the idea of public school is that people, such as the School Board, are in place locally to ensure money is handled appropriately. In the case of vouchers, he said, there is no direct local oversight of the public's money.

Students attending private schools on vouchers or scholarships are not required to take the FCAT."END SNIP

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. local oversight = cronyism & patronage.

.

[CaTeacher]

2. Thank you! That is exactly what I was

saying on the other education thread.

I am very against vouchers--this is a welfare program for rich elitists to help them send their children to expensive private schools at the tax payers expense.

All children should get the SAME education--we need to get the unfairness out of the system! You may want to check out the other thread on this subject (started by ProfLefty).

[ProfLefty]

3. Not fair.

The private school voucher scheme promotes even greater disparity and less uniformity within our overall educational system. This is not right. This is not fair. This is not something that citizens should be forced to finance.