Letter to the editor

A nicely written rebuttal to the "idiotic" Florida Today editorial I sent out in my last email

------------------------

Dear Editor:

letters@flatoday.net

Your July 27 editorial calling for the end of vouchers based on the ETS study that found that public school and private school students perform about equally misses the point. The purpose of vouchers is not to send children to "better" private schools, but to give low-income parents the same educational options middle class and wealthy parents enjoy, thus spurring all forms of education to improve or risk losing students. Wealthy and middle class families have always had the option to move to a neighborhood with better public schools or enroll their children in private schools. It is only poor children, without vouchers, who are trapped in chronically underperforming schools.

Furthermore, vouchers do not divert taxpayer funds away from public schools. The Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship program awards only $3,500 for private school tuition, while public schools spend about $8,000 per student per year. The Collins Center found that equals a taxpayer savings of $600 million over ten years, which can be re-invested into public education. As for the claim that voucher programs are unaccountable, the Florida legislature passed a strong voucher accountability bill this year that requires standardized testing for voucher recipients and safety and financial compliance for participating schools. Who lobbied for the passage of this bill? The private schools and voucher parents!

Why would they do such a thing? Because they know these programs have been shown to improve public schools ("When Schools Compete: The Effects of Vouchers on Florida Public School Achievement," Jay P. Greene, Ph.D. and Marcus Winters) and their goal is to ensure a quality education for every child.

Sincerely,

Mark Siler

Principal, West Melbourne Christian Academy

3150 Milwaukee Ave

Melbourne, Fl. 32904

321-725-3743