Dear editor:
There are some fallacies in the Letter to the Editor "The Free Market Works -- Even In Education" about the free market and how it applies to education.
First, by allowing people to take their dollars and walk, it reduces the amount of dollars left to disburse to the students who are left, usually the financially disadvantaged students, or the ones without a strong parental presence. So it’s like saying “ I can afford to go where I want, and your kid doesn’t matter”
Which brings me to point two: in a free market economy, we can let businesses fail if we don’t like their product. Which, in this case is tantamount to leaving children behind (No Child Left Behind, remember that?)
Are we so divided and invested in only looking out for our own, that we would take $7k from the pot to benefit one student where it would go further if it stayed in?
Keep in mind the average cost of private education is 8k, so the family thats gets a voucher would STILL have to fork out money, again only benefitting the people who were already going to send their kids their.
Point three: there is no expectation of accountability if they take my tax money. So hang on, let me get my checkbook, write a check for 7k. No I don’t need a receipt. Thanks.
Didn’t Elon criticize Bezo’s wife for handing out lots of money and no restrictions?
Point four: with no testing accountability, there is also no education requirement, so I could walk in off the street say “I wanna teach” and I could have a job. ( remember no child left behind? It says teachers have to be highly qualified. No if my kid goes to private school, then all bets are off.)
Finally, we do know, don’t we, that education ISN’t centrally controlled? States have much more latitude than you would think, in controlling curriculum and special programs for gifted students.
Thanks for listening
Andrea Neal, Worland
