Is it time for private school vouchers in Montgomery County?

[Anonymous]

YES, please. Students and parents deserve a choice.

MCPS is SO dysfunctional. Feels like it is beyond repair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Vouchers would, by far, benefit people who can already afford private schools the most. Some people like me, who are willing to have our taxes support public schools for the common good, will be deeply incensed if our tax dollars are spent to decimate the quite decent public school system in order to support religious schools and the wealthy.

Not at all. We can’t afford private school. We are in a non-W cluster with high FARMS and ESOL.

We are fortunate that my kid made it into a Magnet. But school vouchers would be very welcome in this household. Would love an alternative for my younger kid since Magnets are not guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Vouchers would, by far, benefit people who can already afford private schools the most. Some people like me, who are willing to have our taxes support public schools for the common good, will be deeply incensed if our tax dollars are spent to decimate the quite decent public school system in order to support religious schools and the wealthy.

Not at all. We can’t afford private school. We are in a non-W cluster with high FARMS and ESOL.

We are fortunate that my kid made it into a Magnet. But school vouchers would be very welcome in this household. Would love an alternative for my younger kid since Magnets are not guaranteed.

Lack of bussing is a huge barrier to lower income people accessing private schools. A family may not have a car or a work schedule that allows a drop off every morning and a pick up mid afternoon.

[Anonymous]

School vouchers are horrible policy for the reasons described above, but you have to acknowledge 18 months of public school closures while privates were able to operate in person is a big flashing advertisement for school vouchers. And btw, you were warned. Hopefully it won't happen in MoCo but I can envision a big resurgence of these policies across the country.

[Anonymous]

Hell no. I don't want a single dime of my tax dollars supporting religious schools given the hatred and bigotry that organized religions espouse. People who want to send their kids to private schools, especially religious schools of any creed, can suck it up and do whatever they need to do to pay for that purely personal choice.

I'm also opposed to vouchers for charter schools, as many of those are run by for-profit companies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hell no. I don't want a single dime of my tax dollars supporting religious schools given the hatred and bigotry that organized religions espouse. People who want to send their kids to private schools, especially religious schools of any creed, can suck it up and do whatever they need to do to pay for that purely personal choice.

I'm also opposed to vouchers for charter schools, as many of those are run by for-profit companies.

+1, keep religion and profit out of education.

[Anonymous]

No, all my kids went to magnet schools and we couldn’t be happier. Even if my kids had gone to home school (which is still fine), we wouldn’t have chosen private over that. We live in Montgomery Co because of schools. Why pay for privates that are no better. Their SAT scores lower, their NMSF are lower, and it’s not real life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a parent with special needs, I am frustrated that MCPS keeps not implementing his IEP. There are private schools that have staff that would be able to provide what MCPS agrees my child needs. MCPS will not approve private placement at public expense without a huge legal fight. I would take a school voucher in a heartbeat so my child could receive an education.

Private placement would cost several times the amount of any voucher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell no. I don't want a single dime of my tax dollars supporting religious schools given the hatred and bigotry that organized religions espouse. People who want to send their kids to private schools, especially religious schools of any creed, can suck it up and do whatever they need to do to pay for that purely personal choice.

I'm also opposed to vouchers for charter schools, as many of those are run by for-profit companies.

+1, keep religion and profit out of education.

Let’s add politics to that. MCPS can quit pushing it’s political agenda on my kids.

And profit? Look at what MCPS spends money on. Plenty of entities are making a healthy ‘profit’ off of taxpayer money. With little benefit to our students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:YES, please. Students and parents deserve a choice.

MCPS is SO dysfunctional. Feels like it is beyond repair.

You already have a choice to send kids private.

MCPS is still a top 1% school system nationwide

Charter Schools are by and large a failure, voucher programs are more giveaways for privates and those who seek to destroy government and the administrative state like insurrectionist Steve Bannon, and the ROI on privates is 0. So no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hell no. I don't want a single dime of my tax dollars supporting religious schools given the hatred and bigotry that organized religions espouse. People who want to send their kids to private schools, especially religious schools of any creed, can suck it up and do whatever they need to do to pay for that purely personal choice.

I'm also opposed to vouchers for charter schools, as many of those are run by for-profit companies.

Exactly. The Catholic taliban is becoming way too extremist

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell no. I don't want a single dime of my tax dollars supporting religious schools given the hatred and bigotry that organized religions espouse. People who want to send their kids to private schools, especially religious schools of any creed, can suck it up and do whatever they need to do to pay for that purely personal choice.

I'm also opposed to vouchers for charter schools, as many of those are run by for-profit companies.

+1, keep religion and profit out of education.

Yup. And the evidence shows that voucher programs not only undermine public schools but the kids who use them fo not fare better than their peers in public school academically.

[Anonymous]

It is clear that MCPS doesn’t care one iota about keeping our kids safe in school buildings.

I hope parents demand change and if that doesn’t happen, we should fight for vouchers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hell no. I don't want a single dime of my tax dollars supporting religious schools given the hatred and bigotry that organized religions espouse. People who want to send their kids to private schools, especially religious schools of any creed, can suck it up and do whatever they need to do to pay for that purely personal choice.

I'm also opposed to vouchers for charter schools, as many of those are run by for-profit companies.

+1, keep religion and profit out of education.

Yup. And the evidence shows that voucher programs not only undermine public schools but the kids who use them fo not fare better than their peers in public school academically.

Depends on the schools.

I have family in other parts of the country who attend charter schools. They LOVE it! They were open all last year, with only sporadic closures due to Covid outbreaks. It is easier to ‘pivot’ (and MCPS loves to say) because the schools are smaller and it is easier for them to adjust to changes.

MCPS is just too large and inefficient. Too much waste and too little unaccountability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. DCs have done well in public thus far. Possibly looking at specialized private program for my youngest but wouldn’t want or need public funding to subsidize the tuition.

You might not need it, but some families do.

Basically, what you are saying is that YOU and your family have a choice of private. But, you do not want other families to have that choice. Elitism at its best, I guess.