Reply to Betsy DeVos and Vouchers

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Vouchers won't work in DC. If there were a market for private schools that cost $10,000/year the schools would already exist. [/quote]

We have vouchers and families who use them think they are working.

Here's W Post on what Trump may mean for that program: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/trump-could-open-door-to-expanding-dc-school-voucher-program-advocates-say/2016/11/27/a89b9b64-b195-11e6-840f-e3ebab6bcdd3_story.html

From April 2016: "Qualifying low-income families are given vouchers to use at private schools of their choosing. [b] In the 2014-2015 school year, 1,442 students used vouchers to pay tuition at 47 private schools in the District,[/b] with 80 percent of those students using the vouchers for religious schools." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/04/29/gop-house-passes-d-c-private-schools-voucher-program-again/

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Right, so qualifying *low income* families are happy with the lower-ranked Catholic schools.  My question is whether the vouchers will do anything for middle/upper-middle income families, as well as lower-income families who might rather attend a secular school.  [/quote]

Read the article. It's not just Catholic schools but also schools run by the Nation of Islam and other non-religious, $9,000/year schools that opened just to serve kids who  receive the vouchers. There was one student attending Sidwell with a voucher but that's the exception. The first article says that the GOP is interested in making vouchers available to any taxpayers and under what conditions the DC Council might support this.

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Right, the articles in no way support the proposition that an expanded voucher program will lead to more high-quality private choice for UMC parents; or non-secular/quality choices for lower-income parents.  Unless the Archdiocese of Washington stands ready to absorb the additional demand I just don't see how more vouchers in DC will result in meaningful choice.  But I'm open to hearing arguments (although just hearing crickets at this point.)[/quote]

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