The Number Crunchers
Bolingbrook, Illinois

Education Reform:  Can Public Education Tax Credits Be the Answer?

Parents should have the right to choose the school they want their children to attend.

September 9, 2011

By Rhonda Reed-Slaughter

If you closely examine our public education system, you will notice two things -

• The U.S. Government has a monopoly on our public education.

• A government-run education system is parasitic in nature.

Here's how it works

As the government continues to pour more money, our money into public education, teachers' unions and administrators will demand higher pay (including benefits), every year, and push for guaranteed raises that suck-up a large part of a school's budget.

In essence, the government forces us to pay taxes for a public school system that -

• Fail to hold educators accountable.  Especially when guaranteed raises are given, without any concrete way of measuring a teacher or administrator's performance.  

• Prevents competition by making it too expensive for more private schools to enter the market, and severely limiting a parent's ability to pick and choose the best school for their children.

• Undermine a student's ultimate right to receive the best education.  Parents are paying for public education via federal and/or property taxes.  Why can't we decide the school we want our children to attend?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Imagine a government that embrace a public education system that's open and competitive. 

A government that offer parents a tax credit equal to the amount of money spent on a private school of choice.  But, limited to the amount spent (by the government, via taxes) if the child attended a public school.

This type of system is a win-win for everyone.

• The parent will get a tax benefit for sending their child to a school of choice.

• The private school will have more resources to keep its doors open and compete.  The market will dictate its success or failure.

• The public school will have smaller classrooms, and public school teachers will be able to devote more time to each student.

• The teachers' union  will be required to negotiate fairly because of the competitive market.  Private schools will most likely have better teachers because those teachers are rewarded based on performance. 

• Many highly-paid administrator jobs (in the public schools) will be eliminated because of the smaller budgets.  Remember, the students that leave the public system for private will be taking the tax dollars with them.

• The elected officials serving on public school boards will be forced to negotiate fairly because they are not receiving substantial donations from the teachers' union.  Parents will have the freedom to pull their children out of the school if "independence" is questioned.

Please take some time to think about the issue.

The public education system will not improve until all parties face some hard facts - the current system is flawed, and no longer working.

Until we are brutally honest, nothing will change.

click to share your comments