by Gail Kamaras
This letter was published in the Arizona Daily Star.
Re: the July 20 letter ‘Confused on school vouchers.’
A recent writer said he was confused about school vouchers. Vouchers take our tax dollars and move them from public schools to individuals to use for private or religious schools or homeschooling. There is no accountability for spending that money — no school board oversight.
Private and religious schools can teach whatever they want, no matter how misinformed. They can and do, cherry-pick their students, leaving behind those with more costly learning disabilities for the public schools.
Taking state funding from public schools means local taxes must make up the difference. The extremist Republican Legislature has been starving public schools for many years and then decries it as failing. Petitions are circulating now to repeal the universal voucher bill (HB2853). I encourage everyone who cares about education in our state to sign one before the Sept. 24 deadline.