The COVID pandemic is unprecedented and temporary, but bills being pushed by anti-public education legislators would do long-term harm to our public schools and the children they serve. Our friends at KASB posted some good information about voucher programs and their reasons for opposing HB 2068.
Make sure your legislators know where you stand.
From KASB’s Facebook Post on January 25th:
The Kansas Legislature will debate HB2068 which expands school voucher requirements in Kansas. We oppose HB2068 and here’s why.
Vouchers Undermine the State’s Commitment to Public Education. Kansas public schools are a unifying factor in our state. Vouchers undermine this vital function by diverting desperately needed resources away from the public school system that serves 90% of Kansas students. The legislature would better serve our children by making our public schools stronger rather than to fund the education of a few, select students at private schools.
Vouchers do not improve academic achievement. Poverty is the primary cause of achievement gaps, which also exist in private schools that serve poor students.
Vouchers do not provide the same accountability to taxpayers as public schools. Many voucher schools are permitted to take taxpayer money without implementing any requirements for teacher qualifications, testing, or achievement. Some states do not even require private school teachers to hold bachelor’s degrees. In addition, many states do not require accreditation for private schools, meaning that taxpayer-funded vouchers are regularly used to pay for tuition at unaccredited schools.
Public funds shouldn’t go to schools which don’t accept all students. Private schools aren’t required to accept students who need special education or students with disabilities. Private schools aren’t required to accept LGBTQ students and families. Private schools aren’t required to accept students in religious minorities, or non-religious students.
Vouchers can increase school segregation. Since Brown v. Board school vouchers have been introduced to circumnavigate integration. Read KASB staff member Leah Fliter’s thread on this history https://twitter.com/leahfliter/status/1352985953753845761. Private schools tend to be more segregated than similarly situated public schools and enroll higher populations of White students compared to public schools. Nationwide, 69% of private school students are White, 9% are Black, and 10% are Hispanic or Latino.
Vouchers are harmful for students in need of greater resources.
Vouchers don’t provide an actual choice for rural students who have little, if any, access to private schools. Many private schools do not provide transportation to students. Students who leave the public schools with a voucher forfeit many of the protections provided to students under IDEA Students accepting vouchers would not necessarily receive all the services listed on the IEP that they currently receive in their public school.
We joined other education leaders across the state to release a joint statement in opposition to HB2068. https://www.kasb.org/45132?articleID=69500https://www.kasb.org/45132?articleID=69500
We hope you join us in contacting legislators to support Kansas public schools.
Originally posted to Facebook: January 26, 2021.