America’s Looming Caste Education System
The War on Public Education and the Theft of Our Children’s Future
This is the third essay in Civic Way’s series on primary and secondary education (see the first and second essays). Here we touch on some of the most damaging impacts of the war on public education. How children, families and communities will suffer. The author, Bob Melville, is the founder of Civic Way, a nonprofit dedicated to good government, and a management consultant with over 45 years of experience improving public agencies.
Highlights:
Universal voucher programs—sold as school choice—will ultimately produce a caste-based education system with one track for private school students and the other for the rest of us
Without dramatic tax increases, no state will have sufficient funds to sustain both systems
The public education system will not survive in universal voucher states, at least as we know it
Universal voucher programs will force public schools to retrench, cut teachers, expand classes, lean more on remote learning, cut support programs and, when all else fails, close schools
Voucher programs will deplete public education funds without helping those that need it most
“A child without education is like a bird without wings.” —Tibetan Proverb
Previewing the Stakes
If America’s public education system is the foundation of its economic and civic progress, the war on public education is no less than a strike on the America Idea. We have outlined some of the tactics employed by those who would destabilize public education. Now it is time to discuss what the war—if victorious—will bring.
At the turn of the century, it seemed so different. Leaders united to mount a bipartisan effort to reform public education. Once characterized by innovation, competition and accountability, that effort has devolved into a bitter partisan campaign to upend public education. In those states where the campaign has made inroads, it has wrought laws and policies that—to be charitable—are ill-conceived.
The most radical plans to reroute tax revenues from public to private schools share the following fatal flaws:
Poor planning
Second-rate schools
Religious conflict
Forsaken students
Inconclusive outcomes
Anemic accountability
Understanding those flaws is critical if we are to preserve and improve our public education system.
Poor Planning (Haste Makes Waste)
Universal voucher programs represent one of the most brazen boondoggles ever sold to the American public.
For all the rhetoric about government waste, one might have hoped that private school voucher programs would have been thoroughly vetted. Regrettably, the states most zealous about expanding such programs, especially those with universal voucher programs, have done so with the least testing. Instead, they have spent precious public resources on an unproven concept, with insufficient debate, planning and preparation.
The inevitable result? Unanticipated cost overruns and burgeoning budgets. Initial program cost projections routinely exceeded and adjusted. While some states have thus far experienced modest overruns (e.g., Indiana and Iowa), others have exceeded their initial cost estimates by an order of magnitude or more (e.g., Arizona).
Worse yet, in some cases, states have awarded public funds to private school operators with dubious business practices. This has spawned serious allegations of fraud. The allegations have been particularly prevalent in Arizona, where such school choice movement luminaries as the American Leadership Academy and Heritage Academy sell their wares.
Second-Rate Schools
Too many private schools receiving scarce public resources have proven unworthy of the honor. Some are unqualified and unvetted[i]. Some are unstable, financially distressed pop-up schools that close without warning[ii]. Some private schools may be more concerned about profit or ideology than students[iii].
Not all private schools are inferior, but the differences between private and public schools are vast. Too many of the private schools accepting vouchers suffer from problems that cannot be ignored. Unnavigable admission processes, discriminatory enrollment policies, unlicensed teachers, substandard curricula, stubborn racial achievement gaps, inconsistent testing, unaffordable tuition and financial mismanagement (even fraud).
In some states like Florida and Iowa, the laws allow private schools to use voucher funds to game the system. Instead of using all public voucher funds to reduce tuition, they keep a hefty portion to boost their operating revenues (and profits). This can leave parents responsible for burdensome out-of-pocket costs. Ultimately, this could have the perverse effect of reducing school choice for families of modest means[iv].
Religious Conflict
It is hard to believe how many religious schools are eligible for public funding, especially in states with universal programs. In Florida, for example, 58 percent of that state’s 2,300 private schools accepting vouchers are affiliated with a religion (per the Florida Education Department). According to the Des Moines Register, all but six of Iowa’s 183 private schools are religiously affiliated.
Not all religious schools pose risks, but some do. Some promote bizarre history like The 1776 Report. Arizona’s American Heritage Academy teaches that “religion is foundational.” Texas’ Advantage Academy pledges to bring “the Bible, prayer, and patriotism back into the public school.” Some condone corporal punishment[v]. Giving such schools public tax funds, especially without oversight, is a recipe for national decline.
Publicly funding religious schools will likely have other consequences. Some are foreseeable like religious indoctrination and the negative impact on public schools. Others are more difficult to predict like the next generation’s sense of civic obligation. Few of the consequences seem auspicious for our children’s future.
Forsaken Students
The shift of public funds to private schools will leave many students behind. Some marginalized and high-need students, unable to afford private school tuition, may be forced into low-cost, low-quality private schools. Students who remain in public schools will pay the price of lost public funding—fewer teachers, larger classrooms, more limited programs and deteriorating buildings.
Unlike public schools, private schools are not bound by federal civil rights protections. They may deny educational opportunities for any reason (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender and disability). They may refuse to serve special needs children[vi]. They adopt explicit anti-LGBTQ admission rules (e.g., Florida and Indiana). They may more easily discipline or expel students.
The result? A two-tiered educational system with widening racial and socioeconomic disparities.
Inconclusive Outcomes
Initially, some small pilot voucher programs, like those targeting low-income or English as a Second Language (ESL) students, showed promise. These older studies found limited academic progress.
However, recent studies, conducted by such entities as the Brookings Institution and RAND Corporation, have told a very different story. Their findings have ranged from inconclusive to negative. Low-income students attending private schools in Indiana, Louisiana and Ohio, for example, did not see higher test scores (math scores actually declined). Nor have private charter schools materially improved eighth grade math or English proficiency scores[vii]. During the last decade, as Ohio transferred more public-school funds to private schools, the state’s national education rankings plummeted.
What’s going on? Given the paucity of data surrounding private schools, it is hard to determine. However, there are some possible explanations. The haste in which private school voucher programs have been expanded and implemented in some states. The lack of public standards and oversight for many private schools. The awarding of public funds to politically connected and ideologically aligned private schools. The blind faith in a market system that simply does not exist.
What is certain is that, even as certain states are doubling down on private school vouchers, the jury remains out on the educational quality of many private schools. And, since such states aren’t requiring academic data from private and home schools, we never find out.
Anemic Accountability
Unlike public schools, private schools have little—if any—public oversight and accountability[viii]. They are generally not required to administer state tests or report student outcomes. They are exempt from standardized testing. They have few reporting requirements and financial controls. Their performance is not subject to rigorous public scrutiny. It is too hard to determine if such programs offer any value for the money.
Accountability is especially wanting for homeschools. State regulations for home-schooling are regularly killed or watered down. Home-school parents are usually not required to administer state tests or report student outcomes. Homeschool monitoring is virtually cost prohibitive. Giving vouchers to homeschool parents without ensuring that their children receive a quality education could produce a generation of ill-prepared children.
The End Game
Where will the war on education take us? Universal voucher programs—especially those without adequate public goals, standards and oversight—will irrevocably harm our children, communities and nation.
Cut funding for public programs – Voucher programs, especially the universal forms, will divert public funds from public schools and other public programs[ix]. The amounts will depend on the per-pupil funding formula. Tax credits will deplete available state revenues for all programs.
Dueling education systems – Rerouting public funds to private schools will ultimately produce two divergent education systems each scrambling for scarce resources. Within a few budget cycles, states will likely find it virtually impossible to adequately fund both.
Public education decline – As states fail to adequately fund public school districts and right-wing attacks intensify, public teacher compensation will decline and vacancies will escalate. Greater turnover will likely result in less qualified teachers and larger class sizes. The public system will become a caste system.
Public school closures – With fewer resources than private schools, public school districts will ultimately close schools. They will initially absorb budget cuts with layoffs, instructional efficiencies and supplemental program cuts. Eventually, however, fixed costs will force school districts to take more drastic action.
Damaged children – As public schools decline and private schools reject high-risk students, more at-risk children (e.g., poor and disabled) will be left further behind. Children from low-income families, more likely to attend public schools than affluent children, will be most vulnerable. Those in homeschooling could experience greater neglect and even abuse.
Damaged communities – Many small towns will be destabilized by closed public schools. They will lose their community centers and biggest employers. In other communities, a “Joshua Generation” of youth with distorted civic educations could learn to reject democratic institutions.
Ironically, universal voucher programs are not only a threat to public education but to school choice. First, since most states already offer viable public options (e.g., well-run public magnet or charter schools and inter-district open enrollment), they aren’t needed. Second, private school capacity is often inadequate[x]. Third, most universal voucher students already attend private and home schools.
Perhaps we could afford this experiment if we already made adequate investments in public education, but we don’t. The US has increased spending on public education and spends more than many other OECD nations. However, teacher compensation remains too low in many states and modernizing our public education system—like moving to year-round schools—could increase the spending gap. Moreover, the states investing the most in private school voucher programs often invest the least in public education[xi].
What Can Be Done?
Americans face a critical decision. Will we ensure a free, quality and equitable public education for all children or leave education to the vagaries of an ill-defined market and cutthroat individualism?
Many Americans continue to support public schools, even in the reddest states[xii]. At some level, they understand—perhaps better than many of their politicians—the need for a strong, vibrant public education system. They support school choice and fully funded public schools. We should offer them a constructive agenda for fulfilling both objectives.
Limit public funding to schools subject to public standards and accountability. Keep charter schools public. Prohibit funding for home schools. Develop easy-to-use, data-driven tools to help parents fully assess all educational alternatives. Limit voucher eligibility to high-risk, high-need students. Maintain strict expenditure caps for vouchers. Improve performance metrics and apply them to all schools receiving public funds. Authorize state and local governments to terminate arrangements with underperforming private schools.
Most important of all? Invest in our public-school education system like our future depends on it. Because it most emphatically does.