Editorial: Kansas Should Not Adopt Voucher Program

In past weeks, two more states have adopted state voucher and scholarship tax credits. Kansas has yet to accept any of these programs which is the way it should be. Instead of using tax money to send students to the school of their choice, tax money should go to improving the public schools. This would in turn eliminate the need for both school choice and scholarship tax credit programs.

According to the American Federation for Children, there are currently 16 school voucher programs and 15 scholarship tax programs across 17 states. Often low income families are the beneficiaries of these programs. While these programs can be effective in getting students out of failing schools they also take away money from public schools who have already faced substantial budget cuts. Students leaving will cut even more funds that will  give the schools a chance to improve.

The Shawnee Mission School District has cut more than 28 million dollars from its budget in the past three years despite seeing a steady increase in enrollment. School voucher and tax credit programs could potentially cause a decrease in enrollment if enacted in Kansas. This decrease in enrollment could then bring even more budget cuts to our district.

Furthermore, studies conducted by the Center for Education Policy have shown there is no overwhelmingly positive result from students in these programs. Last year 91.9 percent of students in the district met or exceeded state assessment standards in reading. In addition, 91.5 percent met or exceeded standards in math. As a result, there is not much of a need for school vouchers in our district because teachers are already effectively educating students.

Another problem with these programs is the religious aspect of private education. Since the majority of private schools are religious, school voucher programs create a violation with separation of church and state. By sending students to a religious, private school, tax payers could potentially be supporting religious beliefs that they do not agree with. This creates a violation of our First Amendment rights.

Instead of taking students away from public schools, efforts should be made to improve them. Voucher and scholarship tax credit programs only act as a temporary solution by moving students out of failing schools. Money used by these programs could reduce budget cuts and provide more resources for students in public schools. This could then help failing schools and improve the quality of education they provide. Improving our schools is a long term solution, the one we should be focusing on.