The most recent attempt to push vouchers, called Pennsylvania Award for Student Success Scholarship Program, ended up dying at the finish line. But that certainly is not the end of things, so it's worth it to take a moment to understand what the vouchers really would have cost us.
The point about running multiple, parallel school systems is a salient one. The Indiana experience bears this out - big local property tax increases to fund kids who never attended public school. TN's new funding formula is projected to carry big costs as funds shift to charters and private schools over time. In fact, one study suggested 1/3 of all school systems would be forced into property tax increases by year 5 of the program. Will be interesting to see how taxpayers and policymakers respond when that reality hits - they are paying a ton more and not get anything in return (same number of kids educated, the money just paying for multiple systems).
The point about running multiple, parallel school systems is a salient one. The Indiana experience bears this out - big local property tax increases to fund kids who never attended public school. TN's new funding formula is projected to carry big costs as funds shift to charters and private schools over time. In fact, one study suggested 1/3 of all school systems would be forced into property tax increases by year 5 of the program. Will be interesting to see how taxpayers and policymakers respond when that reality hits - they are paying a ton more and not get anything in return (same number of kids educated, the money just paying for multiple systems).