Reply to Article about school vouchers WaPo

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
[b]Wrong.  Please investigate further.[/b][/quote]

PP here. I meant the vouchers don't cover tuition at [b]ALL[/b] the Catholic schools in the voucher program. Holy Trinity in Georgetown charges [b]$17,700[/b] for non-Catholic/out of diocese, Visitation is [b]$29,200 [/b], Gonzaga and St. John's = [b]$22,100[/b], St. Anslem's is [b]$27,000[/b], St. Peters on Cap Hill is [b]$14,000[/b] for Catholics, St. Augustine is [b]$13,500[/b].

These amounts are [u]just tuition[/u]. I didn't include application fees, academic admissions testing, books, supplies, uniforms, aftercare, or transportation. Even if tuition is covered by the voucher, it's up to each school to decide which of the other fees might be paid with voucher funds.

Remember, the [u]maximum[/u] voucher amounts for the lowest-income families are $8,653 for K-8 and $12,981 for 9th-12th.

Vouchers CANNOT be used for any of the following:

Late Fees (even though vouchers are issued 2 or 3 times a year, not all upfront)
Parent participation and/or fundraising fees
Penalties for student behavior
Basic school supplies
Computers
Personal transportation
Other items not related to academic success
Other fees your school has determined are not billable to your student's scholarship

Bottom line: The voucher system as it's set up is a bait-and-switch. It promises parent choice, but some of the options are completely out of reach. It targets kids at certain schools with -- again -- no way for parents to accurately compare the safety and effectiveness of the limited number of schools they [i]might[/i] be able to afford.

Some high-cost schools [b]claim[/b] to have voucher students, but we just have to take their word for it because there is no real oversight of the program.

Here's an analogy: food choices. All parents want their kids to have "healthy" food. WIC funds can pay for cereal. Standardized nutrition and ingredients labeling lets parents choose between nut- free or high protein or low calorie or your kid's favorite that you know they'll eat consistently.

Now imagine that some of the options are organic, no artificial colors, flavors, high protein, whole grain and $10 a box. Others are $3 but lack a full list of ingredients (could be nuts). A few are 99 cents a pound, but no expiration or manufacturer listed. Even if you find the perfect cereal for your child, it may be only available at a store two bus rides away.

Bottom line: public money = public oversight

[/quote]

St. Peter's is $11,500, and there's a Catholic discount.  Other parochials are significantly cheaper.  The Washington School for Girls is all scholarship.  Our Lady of Victory is a top parochial and two-time Blue Ribbon winner; it's tuition is $9100 for Catholics and another $1000 for non.  Keep spreading fake news.[/quote]

1. Some, [u]not all[/u], Catholic schools have tuition higher than the maximum voucher amount of $12,900 for lowest income level.

2. St. Peters is only $11,500 for Catholics in grades 1-8. If you're in [u]pre-K, K, or non-Catholic [/u]at any level, here are the 2017-2018 fees from the school's website.  https://1.cdn.edl.io/C4Usv7UFbVTgrh8aVNicMZwPSFnNB9JCMw9BeVtB5FxLdWA9.pdf

Kindergarten, Catholic $13,000
Pre-K, Catholic $14,000
Pre-K – Grade 8, Non-Catholic $14,500

The voucher program is disingenuous because it has so many schools -- not just Catholic -- that aren't realistically financially attainable or sustainable for low-income families.

Even if a family could pay OLV tuition with vouchers, it's about as far west as you can get in the city. No metro and one bus line.

We can argue details all day long, but without transparency and accountability, how can parents make informed choices from viable options?

Any school -- charter, public, or private -- that takes [u]public[/u] money must be accountable to the [u]public[/u].

Why is that so hard?[/quote]

[b]Where's the public oversight of private colleges and universities? They get plenty of public money.

What it comes down to is do you want to retain middle class families in the city or lose them to No.Va. or MoCo? How hard is that to understand?

Give us the dang vouchers!!![/b][/quote]

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