We’ve seen some major shake-ups in education since the pandemic began in 2020. Parents were forced to do remote school or homeschooling. Millions got an up-close-and-personal look at today’s education system and many didn’t like what they saw. In response, School Choice is on the rise! In fact states around the country are allowing more choices for education and the main way they’re doing this is by allowing School Vouchers.
Here are Five Fast Facts about School Vouchers and what they mean for Paychecks:
- 💡 What Are They? Government school systems are funded by taxpayer dollars. School voucher programs allow families to use (some of) that tax money to send their kids to a private school instead of public school. Vouchers give parents the freedom to choose the best educational fit for their needs, whether that’s due to income level, location, disabilities, or different values. Crazy thing, that freedom of choice!
- 🤔 Mixed Reviews…Maybe - Support for vouchers is all over the map ranging from huge majorities to slim minorities. Detailed research suggests this is because the wording of the poll has a tremendous impact on the results. Not that any pollster would EVER try to influence the results…
- 👎 Opponents Say - The biggest concerns with school voucher programs are a lack of funding for public schools, potential “discrimination” based on things like religion, or the fact that they only help wealthy kids who would go to private school anyway.
- 👍 Supporters Say - Supporters argue that everyone pays the taxes that fund public schools, so funding’s not going away. They also say that the point of private schools is to support things like religion, so that’s a feature not a bug. And the claim that most students helped by vouchers would go to private schools anyway is based on faulty data.
- ☀️ Freedom In Sunshine - Florida is the latest state to pass school vouchers as law. It basically opens up eligibility to all students for around $8500 in assistance for school costs. Arizona, Iowa, West Virginia, and Utah have similar programs, though every state has its own spin on how the program works. Many other states are currently working on such laws, too. The mojo is strong for choice right now!
🔥Bottom line: So what does this mean for your Paycheck? Well, if you’re in private school or want to be in one, it’s good news! Bills like these make private school much more affordable for everyone, not just rich kids. Will it force public schools to clean house a bit in order to be more attractive and effective? Likely so, yes. But is that really a bad thing?
What do you think about school vouchers?
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