Jews and public schools

[richard duncan]

Alan Brownstein writes:

>
>         While a voucher system may lead to the creation of new schools, it
> may also discourage people from moving to communities where there are not
> enough people of their faith to establish any acceptable school -- much less
> the kind of neighborhood school that many families value highly. I don't
> know much about Tulsa, (and I probably would be unwilling to raise my
> children in Pike County, Alabama under any circumstances.) But I certainly
> would never have accepted a job at the University of California, Davis in
> 1981 if there was not a strong, non-religious, public school system in the
> community.
________________

I think this is an important point. Some religious minorities wish to
be educated in a religious environment and some prefer the
opportunity for assimilation and becoming part of a larger community
that public schools provide. A voucher system will certainly increase
the choices for those in the former category. Will a voucher system
necessarily mean that strong, secular, diverse schools will disappear?
I suspect not. First, parental choice does not necessarily
mean the end of public schools. Public schools will almost certainly
continue to exist and I have no doubt they will be able to attract a
diverse student body whose families are looking for the benefits of
good public schools. In addition, *private secular* schools will likely
start up with a view to attracting students with innovative curricula
or with a particular emphasis (e.g. science or arts). I think
both Prof, Brownstein and Jim Henderson will find their options
expanded by the break up of the present educational monopoly. The only
public schools that need to fear choice are bad ones, which may indeed
be weeded out as they are replaced by good private schools. Again,
those who are the most disadvantaged have the least to lose and the
most to gain from choice.

And political support for education will likely increase as we bring
more children into the system of public financing. Those of us who
educate our children outside public schools have no incentive to
support spending on education. Indeed, to the extent that such
spending increases our taxes (e.g. bond issues), we are actually
decreasing our children's educational resources by supporting
increases in public programs. So the natural constituency for spending
on education is divided by the selective funding regime. But if you
bring the other 15% of our children into the system by adopting
parental choice, we will all have strong incentives to support
spending that will improve the educational opportunities for all our
children.

--
                   ----------
             Rick Duncan (rduncan at unlinfo.unl.edu)

"Be of good courage,
 And He shall strengthen your heart,
 All you who hope in the Lord."
       --Psalm 31:24