Vouchers: They are a distraction, not a solution

By Ian Rosenblum

Imagine you're relocating and can choose to live somewhere with an unemployment rate of about 4 percent, nearly 9 percent or 13 percent. For most of us, we'd go where we have the best chance of getting a job.

But for Pennsylvanians, these unemployment rates aren't a matter of where they live - it's all about the education they received. Even in these tough economic times, Pennsylvanians with a college degree have an unemployment rate of only 4.4 percent. For those with a high school diploma, it's 8.6 percent. And for Pennsylvanians who dropped out of high school, the unemployment rate is a whopping 12.9 percent.

Improving education is essential to getting our economy back on track. But the so-called "solution" getting all the attention - taxpayer-funded private school vouchers - doesn't measure up.

Who wins with vouchers?

Powerful campaign contributors and the for-profit education industry. Gov. Tom Corbett even appointed one of the biggest pro-voucher donors to co-chair his education transition committee. And with vouchers, private companies and private schools get rich at taxpayer expense.

Who loses?

Students and taxpayers.

Pennsylvania faces a multibillion-dollar deficit, so stop digging.

The state can't afford a new entitlement program that could easily cost $50 million in new spending next year and ultimately $1 billion each year after.

Voucher advocates accuse opponents of supporting the status quo, but the reality is that vouchers would make our public schools - which will continue to educate the vast majority of students - much, much worse by slashing funding and increasing local property taxes.

There's also no reason to believe that vouchers increase achievement.

Perhaps that's why the state Senate's voucher bill doesn't bother to test voucher recipients in math and reading like we do for public school students so we could compare results.

But maybe there's a silver lining: The voucher debate shows that Pennsylvania has the political will to tackle the real challenge of making sure all kids receive a quality education - and that we taxpayers are getting our money's worth.

Pennsylvania has made great progress during the last decade; today, 290,000 more students are scoring on grade level in reading and math, and we are the only state that made across-the-board academic gains.

Yet hundreds of thousands of students still lack essential skills, and too many are trapped in schools that have failed for years.

Let's tackle this problem, but let's do it right.

Here's how:

First, prevent local property tax hikes.

If Gov. Corbett and legislators cut the state education budget this year, it guarantees a tax increase - just at the local level instead of the state.

Pennsylvania should protect the current funding level and, as the economy recovers, continue to implement the school funding formula known as the Costing-Out Report.

We also must expand early childhood education, which is the best way to reduce future unemployment, welfare and prison costs.

Second, pass a law focused on fixing failing schools.

Whether it's a traditional public school or a charter school, a school should no longer exist if it doesn't work.

If a school needs to be closed; to be relaunched with a new principal, new staff and new curriculum; or to be run by experts in turning around schools, then do it.

The worst-off schools also need more learning time for students, professional time for teachers, and health and family services.

In addition, change the rules and rewards so the best teachers get the toughest assignments.

And if a school board doesn't have the will or capacity to fix a failing system, the state needs to take over.

Third, recruit great educators, dismiss those who aren't effective, and encourage innovation.

For eight years, the Rendell administration tried to end principal tenure and put superintendents and principals on performance contracts - and neither Republican nor Democratic legislators were interested.

It's time.

It's also time to evaluate teachers based in part on whether their students are learning.

And let's create a menu of ways for would-be teachers - especially mid-career professionals - to get certified, and then hold these training programs accountable for how their graduates do in the classroom.

Fourth, in a time of tight budgets, spend less on bureaucracy so we can invest more in our classrooms.

Consolidating school districts is a political non-starter.

But the state doesn't need 500 separate billing, transportation, purchasing and food service departments.

Take all of these back-office functions and perform them at the county level - eliminating redundancy and improving purchasing power.

In addition, the insurance companies have the upper hand when school districts negotiate health insurance contracts.

If we create a statewide or regional school employee health purchaser, we'll get the best deal for taxpayers.

Voucher advocates are right that we can't sacrifice any more children in failing schools; they're just wrong about the prescription.

And that's the real economic and civil rights challenge.