PARENT: Privatizing public education a danger

In business, the bottom line is profit. In public service, the bottom line is the public good. This is reality … this is fact. While there are a few highly successful private schools in Arizona, their accountability is their reputation, not state or national requirements and they are limited in number. There currently are no private schools in Maricopa. Please hold these statements in mind while I describe to you the bombshell recently dropped on public education and where your elected officials stand concerning this matter.

Thursday, the Arizona House of Representatives will vote on HB 2291. This bill is amending the eligibility requirements for Arizona students to receive vouchers (your tax dollars being used for private education). The amendment is for any student who qualifies for the national free and reduced lunch program; they will now also qualify for a voucher. This amendment will explode the number of students eligible for vouchers. Estimates range into the 800,000 level. What does this mean and how will it impact public education, and more specifically, Maricopa public schools? Allow me to explain.

The funding for our public schools comes directly from our state budget. Currently, Arizona ranks among the bottom five states in per-pupil spending in the nation, depending on the source. We are already drastically underfunding our children’s education in this state. These are the facts.

If HB 2291 were to pass, the state does not plan to provide additional funds for this voucher program. Instead, the funds that normally would go from the state to public school districts or public charters will instead go directly to parents. The result will be a further reduction of funds available for public schools, which are already drastically underfunded.

The result of this bill becoming law will lead to the eventual destruction of public schools in the state of Arizona. This will create a decade of drastic transition to corporate education creating massive instability in the short term, even if the program was eventually successful. Maricopa does not currently have a private K-12 school within the city boundaries, and most private schools do not provide transportation. Essentially, Maricopa residents would enjoy none of the benefits of the bill, and suffer all of the negative effects.

Additionally, and perhaps most disturbing, there is a lack of any accountability for these schools receiving public funds. While the current private schools in Arizona may be a good choice for a child’s education, they are few and far between, most being located in or around Phoenix. In no way would the current private schools have the room for an additional 800,000 students. So what does this mean? It means you will see a swarm of new private schools opening to accommodate the new law, lacking the strong reputation of the current private schools. With no inclusion of accountability measures by the state for these schools, including requirements for highly qualified and state certified teachers, the success of the school and quality of the education your child will receive would boil down to a complete gamble. While I enjoy a good card game as much as the next guy, I wouldn’t gamble on my children’s education.

So who would sponsor such a bill? Who would support the effective end of public education in Arizona? One of the sponsors of this bill is our very own LD-11 Rep. and Maricopa resident Steve Smith. Please contact Rep. Smith and request he change his mind on the subject. If we can’t get him to change his mind about public education, we need to change our representation.