Nevada: Vouchers and the Definition of Insanity
The definition of insanity: funding an experimental education program, discovering that it failed, then funding it some more and expecting different results.
Another definition of insanity: funding a voucher program that depresses student achievement, then demanding more voucher funds so more students can fall behind.
Why fund failure?
Despite Poor Academic Results Groups Sue to Grow Private School Voucher Program
A few weeks ago a pro-school privatization organization, Institute for Justice, announced a lawsuit against the State of Nevada over the impact of AB 458 to private school vouchers recipients, scholarship granting organizations and businesses receiving tax incentives.
Though pro-voucher advocates are framing the suit as “saving vouchers,” in reality, the voucher program did not lose funding. The controversy over some students losing their scholarships is actually the result of a single scholarship granting organization interpreting a law passed this legislative session (AB 458) differently than all other scholarship organizations. Certain families who went through this organization for their voucher funds were the only ones whose funds were not renewed, leaving those students in limbo as the law’s purpose is clarified by the State.
To be clear, AB 458 did NOT cancel funding for the voucher program but only ended the requirement that funding for the controversial program grow by 10% each year. Given that growth in public education funding often struggles just to keep up with inflation (approximately 2%), automatically growing a voucher program with scant accountability and poor results just doesn’t make sense.
Businesses are also suing on the claim that they would not be able to increase their contributions to vouchers because there is no increase in tax incentives. However ,they could choose to continue supporting private school tuition CONTINUE READING: Nevada: Vouchers and the Definition of Insanity | Diane Ravitch's blog
