Betsy DeVos and Vouchers - Yes!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vouchers increase choice because you can take your voucher and go where you want. The voucher should be the equivalent of what DCPS spends per pupil. There will be plenty of quality providers lining up; a board can provide oversight as is done with charters. The voucher is a passport to quality education in a safe environment. Anyone against more choice doesn't have kids in the system.

DC has a lot of really wonderful private schools. Many of them are really hard to get into, even at full price. An $8-10,000 voucher is not going to suddenly create more spaces at those schools. There are some high quality parochial schools, but for those of us who are not willing to send our kids to parochial school, that's not an option even if the vouchers would cover the tuition, which is by no means assured.

To me, a voucher program increases "school choice" the same way that charters who have 3 seats available for non-siblings in the lottery increase school choice. Sure, someone will get in, but it's not a meaningful choice for the vast majority of students in the lottery.

A better strategy would be to support public schools (which DeVos categorically does not do). DCPS needs to retain middle class families, but it refuses to open test-in middle schools to provide an option for families who would otherwise move to the counties where G&T is available. There are a lot of competing interests in DCPS, and while their priority remains education of underprivileged children over retaining middle class families, there isn't going to be real reform.

Your post sounds like someone who doesn't have kids in the system HERE. A voucher isn't going to get you any more choice than you already have.

No, I have kids here and I want vouchers. I'm done with DCPS as non-responsive; it holds no more future for my family. My family will do quite well here in DC with vouchers; without vouchers we will likely leave and regardless we'll not settle with the current state of DCPS. My neighbors (with my kids' friends) have already left for the suburbs - to where most DCPS officials who have families already live; I'm tired of all of this; DCPS is making a wasteland devoid of kids in my neighborhood. That's not a public service.

There are already vouchers. Go apply for them. Which private school do you plan to send your child to when you get your $8,000-$12,000 voucher? What is your concern with the existing program - is your income above the $22k ceiling that the current program requires?

I'm sorry that your neighborhood school is not retaining students. That's definitely true in some neighborhoods. It's not true in my neighborhood school, which is not desirable on this board AT ALL. I know 3 families who have moved to the suburbs from our school in the last 2 years, and all 3 moved because they needed more space than they could afford in the city - not anything to do with the school.

This. Our school is great and we have more apartments in the neighborhood. We will move out finally because we can't afford bigger home here and we also want to shorten DH commute-works in FFC. Would take the school with us if we could.

[Anonymous]

The teachers I know think that more vouchers is a move towards separate and unequal public schooling. Do teachers at private and charter schools feel differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Vouchers increase choice because you can take your voucher and go where you want. The voucher should be the equivalent of what DCPS spends per pupil. There will be plenty of quality providers lining up; a board can provide oversight as is done with charters. The voucher is a passport to quality education in a safe environment. Anyone against more choice doesn't have kids in the system.

DC has a lot of really wonderful private schools. Many of them are really hard to get into, even at full price. An $8-10,000 voucher is not going to suddenly create more spaces at those schools. There are some high quality parochial schools, but for those of us who are not willing to send our kids to parochial school, that's not an option even if the vouchers would cover the tuition, which is by no means assured.

To me, a voucher program increases "school choice" the same way that charters who have 3 seats available for non-siblings in the lottery increase school choice. Sure, someone will get in, but it's not a meaningful choice for the vast majority of students in the lottery.

A better strategy would be to support public schools (which DeVos categorically does not do). DCPS needs to retain middle class families, but it refuses to open test-in middle schools to provide an option for families who would otherwise move to the counties where G&T is available. There are a lot of competing interests in DCPS, and while their priority remains education of underprivileged children over retaining middle class families, there isn't going to be real reform.

Your post sounds like someone who doesn't have kids in the system HERE. A voucher isn't going to get you any more choice than you already have.

No, I have kids here and I want vouchers. I'm done with DCPS as non-responsive; it holds no more future for my family. My family will do quite well here in DC with vouchers; without vouchers we will likely leave and regardless we'll not settle with the current state of DCPS. My neighbors (with my kids' friends) have already left for the suburbs - to where most DCPS officials who have families already live; I'm tired of all of this; DCPS is making a wasteland devoid of kids in my neighborhood. That's not a public service.

You're just operating on a fact-free basis. Vouchers are not going to solve your problem. It's much more likely that a charter would be a choice for you. Or you can just do the online charter and hire a governness with a few other families. Or homeschool. But I get it, it's more attractive and fun to be fact-free.

[Anonymous]

Read this, everyone: https://www.brookings.edu/research/on-negative-effects-of-vouchers/

Increased school choice is probably coming to DC, but we should try to make sure it comes in the form of quality charters, not vouchers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Read this, everyone: https://www.brookings.edu/research/on-negative-effects-of-vouchers/

Increased school choice is probably coming to DC, but we should try to make sure it comes in the form of quality charters, not vouchers.

PP, I have my facts straight. One fact is you're both ill-informed and specious. Don't tell me what's best for my family. I know it's vouchers and not DCPS. If you even have a family in this city, then say what's best for it. But I don't need to be told what's best for my family - and vouchers will allow me freedom to decide versus insensitive District bureaucrats who live in Maryland telling me what's best for my kids actually living in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read this, everyone: https://www.brookings.edu/research/on-negative-effects-of-vouchers/

Increased school choice is probably coming to DC, but we should try to make sure it comes in the form of quality charters, not vouchers.

PP, I have my facts straight. One fact is you're both ill-informed and specious. Don't tell me what's best for my family. I know it's vouchers and not DCPS. If you even have a family in this city, then say what's best for it. But I don't need to be told what's best for my family - and vouchers will allow me freedom to decide versus insensitive District bureaucrats who live in Maryland telling me what's best for my kids actually living in DC.

If a $8K per year voucher is what currently separates your kids from DC private school then why in the world aren't you applying now?
That's not even 25% of the tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read this, everyone: https://www.brookings.edu/research/on-negative-effects-of-vouchers/

Increased school choice is probably coming to DC, but we should try to make sure it comes in the form of quality charters, not vouchers.

PP, I have my facts straight. One fact is you're both ill-informed and specious. Don't tell me what's best for my family. I know it's vouchers and not DCPS. If you even have a family in this city, then say what's best for it. But I don't need to be told what's best for my family - and vouchers will allow me freedom to decide versus insensitive District bureaucrats who live in Maryland telling me what's best for my kids actually living in DC.

If a $8K per year voucher is what currently separates your kids from DC private school then why in the world aren't you applying now?
That's not even 25% of the tuition.

Ignore the troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read this, everyone: https://www.brookings.edu/research/on-negative-effects-of-vouchers/

Increased school choice is probably coming to DC, but we should try to make sure it comes in the form of quality charters, not vouchers.

PP, I have my facts straight. One fact is you're both ill-informed and specious. Don't tell me what's best for my family. I know it's vouchers and not DCPS. If you even have a family in this city, then say what's best for it. But I don't need to be told what's best for my family - and vouchers will allow me freedom to decide versus insensitive District bureaucrats who live in Maryland telling me what's best for my kids actually living in DC.

What's best for your kids could very well be homeschooling or going back to work to pay your own way into private.

I am happy to pay my fair share of taxes to benefit our public schools. Your snowflake getting a subsidized ride at a religious school, no, that is not okay.

[Anonymous]

^^^^ PP, you just don't get the message....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read this, everyone: https://www.brookings.edu/research/on-negative-effects-of-vouchers/

Increased school choice is probably coming to DC, but we should try to make sure it comes in the form of quality charters, not vouchers.

PP, I have my facts straight. One fact is you're both ill-informed and specious. Don't tell me what's best for my family. I know it's vouchers and not DCPS. If you even have a family in this city, then say what's best for it. But I don't need to be told what's best for my family - and vouchers will allow me freedom to decide versus insensitive District bureaucrats who live in Maryland telling me what's best for my kids actually living in DC.

If a $8K per year voucher is what currently separates your kids from DC private school then why in the world aren't you applying now?
That's not even 25% of the tuition.

Ignore the troll.

How is it trolling? Please explain in detail 1) how you are going to qualify and 2) what quality private school is going to magically take your voucher as full tuition?

[Anonymous]

^not you, the poster living in a dream world where vouchers fix anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read this, everyone: https://www.brookings.edu/research/on-negative-effects-of-vouchers/

Increased school choice is probably coming to DC, but we should try to make sure it comes in the form of quality charters, not vouchers.

PP, I have my facts straight. One fact is you're both ill-informed and specious. Don't tell me what's best for my family. I know it's vouchers and not DCPS. If you even have a family in this city, then say what's best for it. But I don't need to be told what's best for my family - and vouchers will allow me freedom to decide versus insensitive District bureaucrats who live in Maryland telling me what's best for my kids actually living in DC.

Dude. Nobody cares what you think is best for your family. The point is that no realistic voucher program (expansion of the current program) is going to significantly change the private school market in DC. This is not some fantasy world.

[Anonymous]

^^^ Dude - You're wrong and insensitive. My guess is you're another DCPS troll. We'll see about vouchers, because they're coming and hopefully your coveted meaningless job at DCPS will go away so kids can actually excel in this city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ Dude - You're wrong and insensitive. My guess is you're another DCPS troll. We'll see about vouchers, because they're coming and hopefully your coveted meaningless job at DCPS will go away so kids can actually excel in this city.

wow, get a grip. I see you can't actually answer the question using facts. good day, sir.

[Anonymous]

^^^^ DCPS troll.