Private School Vouchers: Simply Say No The idea behind vouchers is for the government to use taxpayer money to encourage a student to transfer from a public school to a private one with the expectation that his performance will improve. The fact that any government official would actually support a program that essentially encourages parents to remove their children from public schools shows that they have no commitment to public education. Consider these arguments: Improved Scores The expectation that a bad student in a public school will turn into a good student in a private school is not only absurd, but is yet another slap in the face of public school teachers. The assumption is that private school teachers are more effective than public school teachers. The expectation of better scores is completely unrealistic. It's not that simple.CompetitionThe argument that public schools will benefit from the competition encouraged by vouchers is absurd. Public schools accept all students regardless of their academic ability, handicap or family background, while private schools generally do not admit students who are expected to lower their GPA or who need special accommodations. Competition, even on this unequal playing field, involves winners and losers. When it comes to education, we would hate to see any child on the losing side. Parental Choice The idea that vouchers give parents the ability to choose a school for their children is simply wrong. The only people who have a real choice in the matter are private individuals... middle of paper... families cannot afford the difference between the voucher and the cost of school fees. Furthermore, few private schools are located in economically depressed areas where the poor are likely to reside. More importantly, however, few schools admit children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Ultimately, the vast majority of people who benefit from vouchers are those who are already financially able and attending. The fact is that we already have an education program for poor families: it's called the public education system. Teaching is free and everyone is welcome. The point is that vouchers have nothing to do with education. Vouchers are about control. Vouchers are about taxing the public to benefit religion at the expense of our public education system.