Gov. Tom Corbett recently revealed his plan for education, pushing for vouchers as the new standard for education reform. On October 24th, the Senate Education Committee approved a vouchers program. Now, the Senate is poised to pass it. The Senate Education Committee’s support of vouchers is happening despite major opposition from students and parents across Pennsylvania.

Why fund private and parochial schools with taxpayer dollars? If public education weren’t always under attack by budget cuts, there would be no need to expand educational “choices” for parents and students. We know the real first choice of every parent and student is a high quality public school in their neighborhood.

If Gov. Corbett’s real goal was the expansion of educational choice for students he would be funding public education instead of vouchers. “Fixing struggling schools like mine is a process. It takes leadership from the principal and the district, student and parent involvement, qualified and effective teachers, engaging curriculum, accountability, and adequate funding. It is a process, but I know that my school can succeed if it is invested in,” said Baseerah Watson, a senior at  Sayre High School in West Philadelphia. There is no better choice for parents and students than a district of well-funded neighborhood schools.

Vouchers will only increase the disparity within already struggling districts. Many students, parents, and taxpayers will be left behind. They will be left behind because there is no guarantee that getting a voucher will lead to a better education. Even students who get vouchers are not guaranteed acceptance at private schools. Private schools can turn away students or kick students out for any reason, including a student’s disability, religion, test scores, background, or status as an English Language Learner. Even with a voucher, many students will be stuck in the same underfunded, under-performing schools, while more and more resources are drained out of their schools.

Vouchers will not benefit all of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, regardless of the promises being made by Corbett’s administration. These promises are empty promises. Can we really afford to leave anymore students behind? And, furthermore, would we want to?

The Philadelphia Student Union opposes Senate Bill 1, also known as, Opportunity Scholarships, and Educational Improvement Tax Credit (Vouchers) for the following reasons:

• Vouchers are about handing taxpayer money to private enterprise.  Not about equity for students.
• Taxpayer money should stay in our schools and our neighborhoods.
• Vouchers will do nothing to improve public education.  They will help private schools stay open while our public schools close.
• More money will be lost from our public schools that are already under-funded and under attack.
• Parts 2 and 3 of the Voucher Bill (SB1) would grant vouchers to students who may already be attending private or high performing schools. This would direct much needed funding to students who don't need it. Clearly, the real goals of voucher proponents are not about helping students in struggling schools.

Vouchers are not what they appear

• Many low-income students are being told that vouchers are their ticket to a better school. For most of us this is an empty promise. The amount of money that a student will receive through a voucher is not enough to afford tuition at most private schools. The majority of low-income families will not be able to make up the difference.
• Vouchers leave the majority of us with less resources and further set up our schools to fail.
• Vouchers are not a guarantee that we will get a better education. Private and parochial schools are not required to accept us and it is unlikely that they will accept LGBTQ, English Language Learners, or special needs students.
• Private and parochial schools can kick students for any reason they want.

Vouchers are unconstitutional.

• The Pennsylvania Constitution states, "No money raised for the support of the public schools of the Commonwealth shall be appropriated to, or used for the support of any sectarian school." This means that the voucher plan is unconstitutional. Governor Corbett cannot pass vouchers; he took an oath to uphold the PA constitution.
• Taxpayer money should not be going to schools that have the right to discriminate against students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and those with behavior problems.
• Vouchers will gut the public education system.  Some people want to take us back to a time before universal public education when you couldn’t go to school unless you could pay for a private education.

Vouchers won't work. They will make schools more unequal, not less.

• Backers of vouchers claim that they will make education in PA more equitable by improving the educational opportunities of disadvantaged students. The reality is that vouchers will make our education more unequal. The majority of us will be left in low performing schools, as funding drains from our schools and enrollment declines.

The way to achieve educational equity is to adequately fund our public schools!

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