Wednesday, July 19, 2006

GOP Unveils School Voucher Plan

GOP Unveils School Voucher Plan - Washington Post

As long as public schools under perform the requirements for teaching our children, the subject of vouchers will be with us. Vouchers are like putting ‘stolen’ tax dollars back into the hands of working people, who need them most, to enhance their circumstances.

Anyone who argues that Black parents should not have an escape mechanism from chronically bad schools, regardless of the reason, is placing their self-interests ahead of the students, and this specifically includes teacher’s unions.

This past year, my son’s fifth-grade teacher, in a mostly-White school, refused to emphasize math, frustrating us as well as other parents. We eventually pulled our son, and placed him in a Catholic school, rather than have his math gifts fall a year behind. The public school principal was powerless to bring the rouge teacher into alignment, as the teacher's union stood strong against all attempts to rectify the situation.

Make no mistake, vouchers are not a panacea. However, just as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) gives under performing schools money to hire remedial help, parents should be given relief to get the most for their tax dollars and children – on an individual basis. While the schools are getting their programs up to par, some more slowly than others, parents must be able to act. Telling them to wait is unacceptable.

James C. Collier

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