“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. ” — John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Throughout the thousands of political speeches given during our country’s history, there might not be a better anthem for political participation on an individual level. After letting JFK’s famous phrase sink in it is obvious that he wanted the American people to take charge of their political and social futures. Kennedy realized the importance of pro-activity on a personal or community basis, and the results that would come to the citizens of this country who partook in their own evolvement.
This ability that all Americans possess is not always utilized. Many people would rather sit back and complain about the condition of their environment, their communities, and their lives. Citizens of this country constantly denigrate our elected officials, but do they get out and vote on Election Day? Are they active in their communities? What are they doing to help themselves and what changes could these potential efforts produce? The answers to these questions seem to lie along the same lines for most Americansnothing.
Not even 50% of Americans vote in the presidential election. This signifies a severe lack of patriotism and civic duty on the part of the American people. Most people argue that they cannot make a significant difference by simply voting and becoming active in their respective communities. They believe that nothing important or consequential happens at the local and state levels of government. But what these people do not understand is that the majority of the decisions that will most closely affect their lives are made at these intermediary levels.
Does the President of the United States have the fortitude or the even the time to be concerned with a community such as Adrian, Michigan? Obviously, the answer is no. Its local politicians and state representatives handle this community and its accompanying issues. The purpose of this paper is to examine and analyze the school voucher program that was recently defeated in the election of 2000. Our slain king’s historic message should be taken to heart, because we are the only the ones that can help ourselves. School Vouchers
This issue has caused more controversy than in recent memory. First of all, what are school vouchers? Vouchers are government subsidized distributions of money–in this case $3,000–to eligible families, which can be used to attend either private of public schools. The amount was determined by calculating the average amount of money that is allocated to each child in the state of Michigan. They are a way of helping low income families give their children a better education by allotting them money in the form of this coupon.
In doing this, the state has to provide vouchers for every child attending school not just children of low-income families. If passed by the voters, will funnel money away from public schools and be distributed to various individuals, which will be selected based on economic status as well as a number of other factors. Secondly, what issues do school vouchers bring to the political forefront? The distribution of public funds, meaning tax dollars, to only some individuals creates an argument. What are the criteria for receiving these funds?
Who makes the decisions concerning disbursement and selection of recipients? Are the funds accounted for after they are distributed, or can the moneys be used for other purposes? As one can see by these questions, corruption can easily rear its ugly head during the selection and distribution. Also, being that these moneys can be used for enrollment in private schools, this bridges the gap between church and state. Public funding is not supposed to be given to privately funded establishments due to the long-standing separation of church and state in this country.
Some argue that school vouchers are unconstitutional. Finally, by subjecting private schools to public funding, they are obligated to abide by the rules set by the Michigan Department of Education. Essentially, current private schools may become nothing more than high-priced public schools. (NEA, 2000) The Arguments: Some say that school vouchers will equalize educational opportunities for students, while others say vouchers will widen the gap of inequality.
School vouchers are supposed to give parents a choice as to where their children can go to school, but their choice is not necessarily the only factor in determining the school their children end up in. This is not entirely true. Although a parent can chose a public or private school, private schools are not obligated to take the child. Most private schools require an interview and check academic achievement. If the child does not meet the requirements, then he/she will not be admitted.
On the other hand, all public schools have to accept everyone that comes through the door. As long as the private schools have this admission policy, it is unlikely that this will equalize educational opportunities. The equality issue seems to be lop-sided with regard to the admission of students because private schools do not have to admit everyone who comes to them, whereas public schools do. With the $3,000 voucher, a parent may choose a private school and their child may be accepted, but there is still another factor involved in this equation.
Private schools charge tuition and that tuition may be greater than the amount of the voucher. This may not be a problem for the middle to upper class family, but a low-income family would not be able to afford the extra money to send their child to a private school. Again, this seems as though the schools would still be unequal in its giving parents a choice because only those who can afford the private school will be attending them and those who cannot will be forced to go to a public school.
Although, for those low-income families the opportunity of choice may be giving some children privileges of a better quality of education that they may not have otherwise been able to take advantage. Parents who have a choice will try to choose the best school for their children. A competition between schools may occur, where teachers will have to improve in their teaching to draw in or keep students in their school. It will become important for schools to have parents choose them, so the quality of the education may increase.
