Last week’s 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow Ohio’s school voucher program to continue in Cleveland’s inner-city schools threw yet more fuel on the fiery debate of school funding in our state. From property taxes and levies to lottery profits and state grants, every school is caught in the middle —vying for the funds to meet the tough educational demands from students and parents.
Little by little, our schools seem to be shifting into the competitive free marketplace. During my two years as a reporter in Indiana and Ohio I’ve heard it from almost every superintendent once: “At this school, we’re running a business.”
Depending on your views, that may be good news or bad.
Supporters of programs such as school vouchers say there needs to be more choice in education as there is in business. If they think their child is attending an unsatisfactory or failing public school, they want the freedom to use their tax dollars to send the student to any private school, including religiously affiliated ones.
Opponents of school vouchers say the program will only continue to harm struggling public schools. If parents are allowed to pull both their children and tax dollars from the school, the rest of the students will suffer from the depleting finances. Additionally, others against vouchers disapprove that public tax money can be used for religion-affiliated education.
In Washington County, school vouchers have not made much noise yet. However, alternative schooling options are prevalent and show the business-like shift of education.
The most popular education alternative is the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO). The PSEO began in 1990 and allows high school students to take higher level courses at Washington State Community College or Marietta College. The courses count for both high school and college credits. Supporters of the PSEO say students benefit because they can advance stronger and faster through their college education. The state provides the school districts with foundation funds for the tuition and supply costs for these students.
However, in some cases, once the foundation funds dry up, the money is pulled from local school budgets. Some parents, therefore, see the program as similar to vouchers, as it takes funds away from the public schools. Additionally, other parents worry that by sending students to Washington State for advanced courses, the high school itself will never sustain the demand or funds to create the advanced courses on their own.
Washington State reported 180 students participated in the program last year, but those attendance numbers are down from about 300 PESO students in 1997. Why? Because like a business, local districts felt financially threatened and moved to protect themselves. Each district is different, but most set up new restrictions, requirements and deterrents for students to participate.
Ultimately, the debate of alternative schooling and vouchers is about funding and money, and that’s why our schools are becoming businesses. In fact, for some public schools in the country, it is truly a business. Several private companies are now running past failing public schools.
The future free market of education might throw our students into the ugly side of the corporate world, but the competition might also provide us with better schools. Somehow, I get the feeling that 20 years from now Wal-Mart will be in the education business.