This is the fundamental question in school choice policy debates. Are vouchers the solution or do they just compound the problem? Teachers unions believe school choice will destroy the public school system, a mainstay of government responsibility. Yet others argue that the failings of public education are the fundamental reason why certain groups are held back from advancing their place in society. Who is right? More importantly, whose interests will win out? Supporters of school vouchers say that the entity of school choice does indeed exist currently–but only for affluent families.
Children in affluent families can be sent to whatever school a parent desires, they argue. However, low-income families are restricted in their options and thus are forced to send children to subpar educational institutions. This has the effect of perpetuating the cycle of receipt of poor education leading to low-income jobs in the future. The only way to break this cycle of inequality is to intervene at the point of education. Supporters contend that leveling the playing field for educational access will lead to greater equity on a larger scale.
Opponents question the quality of education in private schools which are not regulated by the State. Schools in which teachers may not be credentialed and curriculum varies from school to school. Such opponents, including many Congressional Democrats, say that voucher programs rob needed cash from local public schools. “Vouchers will not reform our public schools, they will only serve to weaken them,” says Robert Chase, president of the National Educational Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union. Opponents believe that withdrawing money from already underfunded public schools will simply exacerbate the problem.
