Report: Trump Voucher Scheme Creates Two-Tiered Education System
Sen. Sanders releases data showing harms of federal voucher plan
Part of the Trump Administration’s plan to undermine (and dismantle) public education in America is the creation of a federal private school discount coupon scheme.
Now, Sen. Bernie Sanders has released a report noting the potential harms of this plan.
In a press release announcing the report, Sanders notes:
“President Trump and his billionaire campaign contributors have been working overtime to create a two-tier education system in America: private schools for the wealthy and well-connected and severely under-funded public schools for low-income and working-class students. That is unacceptable,” Sanders said. “This report makes clear that vouchers are being used to benefit private schools that reject students because they have a disability or because of their religion and benefit some of the wealthiest families in America. Trump’s voucher program will only make a bad situation even worse.”
Sanders highlights the findings of the report:
Subsidize private education for the rich. School vouchers, on average, cover just 39% of middle school private school tuition across the sampled states. Even with a private school voucher, tuition prices are often out of reach for working-class families, meaning that the vouchers function as a subsidy to the rich who can already afford to pay for private education.
Allow private schools to systematically deny admission to students with disabilities, limit how many students with disabilities they serve, only serve children with certain types of disabilities or charge extra tuition. While public schools must provide all students with the same opportunities to learn and excel, 48% of private schools analyzed in this report choose not to provide all students with disabilities with the services, protections and rights provided to those students in public schools under the IDEA.
Enable private schools to discriminate against students based on their religion. This report finds that despite the fundamental right of freedom of religion enshrined in our constitution, voucher programs benefit private schools that discriminate against students based on their religious beliefs. Specifically, 17% of private schools reviewed in this report charge different tuition rates based on the family’s religious beliefs.
Benefit private schools that lack basic credentialing, accountability and transparency requirements. Fewer than half of states reviewed require private schools to be accredited, while even fewer require student learning assessments. Unacceptably, only two states require teacher credentials in private schools receiving vouchers.
Examples from Arizona, Indiana, and Florida also suggest that school voucher plans are problematic - negatively impacting local school funding and putting pressure on state budgets.
The evidence from state programs makes clear the reality of vouchers: Expensive for taxpayers, unhelpful for students, devastating for local school districts.
Strong analysis of the voucher data. The 39% tuition coverage figure is especially telling since it basically confirms these are subsidies for families already able to pay most private tuition. I worked in school policy for awhile and saw similar patterns where voucher programs became defacto bonuses for wealthier zipcode rather than access expansions for lower-income kids.