The Indiana State AFL-CIO stands firmly opposed to all and any type of private school funding proposals. Whether they are called vouchers, stipends or reimbursements, we remain adamant against these schemes which divert public money to private schools.
Rhetoric vs. Reality
The discussion regarding private school vouchers usually centers on the idea of choice. Give parents a choice, the advocates of vouchers say. The reality of school vouchers, however, is far from the rhetoric. Parents are not the ones who have a choice. It is the private schools who have the choice. They choose which students they want to accept. They choose which students they want to get rid of. Lets face it, private school vouchers really mean - our money; their rules.
Constitutionality
One of the most persuasive arguments against private school vouchers is the constitutional questions, which these schemes raise. Both the U.S. and the Indiana Constitutions speak to the clear divisions between church and state. The Indiana constitutional provision is probably stronger and clearer as it speaks to no money from the treasury being used to benefit any religious institutions. Since the majority of private schools pushing for voucher options are religious, any public funds diverted to these entities would bring constitutional challenge.
Market Theory
The other often quoted reason for school choice is competition. Competition, supposedly, will make public school better. This is said so often that we sometimes don't think about the truth of the statement. Does competition make something better? Well, maybe in the case of an athlete. But on the other hand, what about phone companies? We are inundated with competition in the phone industry - has it made phone service better? What about television programming? Has the plethora of cable stations made television programming better? Or does competition simply create niches? I like history; I watch the history channel. I don't like change; I'll stick with AT&T phone service. Will competition make schools different or just separate groups into niches?
Aren't Private Schools Better?
Achievement differences often cited in support of private schools are overplayed. While private schools have a small edge with regard to student achievement, this usually disappears when one compares students of similar background in each type of school. There is no substantive data that supports private over public student achievement. The question one might ask is: with all the advantages private schools have - the right to pick which students to accept; the right to get rid of any and all troublemakers; no rules or regulations to comply with - why aren't they well ahead of public schools in performance?
Schools are Schools
Too often in this debate we assume that public and private schools are basically the same. They aren't. Private schools often discriminate in admissions and in hiring. They often teach religious dogma. They often take conservative stands on controversial issues. Public schools - because they are public - are far more objective in all aspects. Public schools have to be objective because they represent all of the people, not just a certain segment. Public schools are also well regulated, with their business operations open to public scrutiny.
Financial Impact
The financial impact for a full-blown voucher plan would be staggering. If the state is willing to give vouchers to a small segment of the student population, why not all students? What about students currently enrolled in private schools? What about transportation?
It's Just Wrong
The most compelling reason against private school vouchers is that it is just plain wrong. It goes against the grain of our democracy. Public schools mean more than just schools paid for by the public. They are the vehicles that infuse our nation's values to all who enter the classroom.
We believe the argument against privatization is encapsulated in the following statement made by AFT president Al Shanker before the U.S. Senate joint Economic Committee"
"Privatization rests on the argument that education is primarily a private benefit and so best left to parent and private discretion. But, in democracy, education is, first and foremost, a public good. AD taxpayers support education, not just the small number of families (somewhere around 27 percent) who actually have children in public schools. Why? Because in a democracy, all citizens have a stake in a well-educated populace and suffer from one that is ill educated. In a diverse and pluralistic country like ours, public schools are the glue that helps hold society together. If we were to privatize our education system, we would become the only nation on earth to abdicate our responsibility for socializing our young into the common values of our society and the shared duties of citizenship. The founding fathers had it right. Only with public education can you have both the unfettered pursuit of individual private interests and a free society."
-Al Shanker AFT President February 5, 1996
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