Robert Ford Is What?
When we saw it in Sunday’s Greenville News, we assumed it was a typo.
When we saw it again in this morning’s Charleston Post & Courier, we rubbed our eyes and did a double take.
Then, we almost spit out our vanilla almond breakfast cereal … which come to think of it might not have been a bad thing.
“It,” in case you’re wondering, is an op-ed written by State Sen. Robert Ford (D-Charleston) and Rep. Eric Bedingfield (R-Greenville) published in these two papers – an op-ed that enthusiastically embraces school choice.
And when we say “school choice,” we’re not talking about the monopoly-preserving “Choice In Name Only” that’s been peddled for the last two years by State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex, we’re talking about an Honest-to-God investment in a parent’s right to choose the education that they feel is best for their child.
Our proposal is simple — we would take roughly half of the money our state currently spends per child and allow parents to choose a school setting that fits their child’s needs through a S.C. Opportunity Tax Credit. It would only be an average credit of $2,500, which pales in comparison to what the state spends to educate children today.
For our lower income families, who may not have a tax liability, we are allowing scholarships be made available for families to send their children to the school of their choice. The scholarship program has been successfully implemented in Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, and Ohio. It’s time we give opportunities to our lower income families to free them from decaying failing schools and give their children the opportunity they deserve.
Public, private, parochial — the choice would be up to the parents.
It’s that simple.
Damn right it’s that simple, although try telling that to the 85 different local school districts in this state, which are secretly stashing away hundreds of millions of dollars while their SAT scores plummet and achievement gaps grow.
To them – and to the Columbia education bureaucracy and its apologists – it’s not about the children, it’s about keeping the money flowing.
That’s something taxpayer-funded groups like the S.C. Association of School Administrators will fight to the death to preserve.
Speaking of which, it will be interesting to see how SCASA and the rest of this “educrat establishment” treats Sen. Ford now that he’s come out in favor of school choice.
After all, they all but eviscerated Sen. Darrell Jackson for daring to suggest two years ago that school choice might be something he would support in the future.
And Ford has not only suggested it, he’s sponsoring the bill.
Stay tuned …
Comments
By Red Bank Bar on March 2nd, 2009 at 10:06 am
Two of the certifiably dumbest legislators get together and fitz news is all a twitter. Just one more example of the intellectual bankruptcy of folks.
Vouchers don’t work. They haven’t worked anywhere. They don’t improve test scores anywhere they’ve been tried. No one is going to start a private school in Allendale or Chesterfield. This is just another effort to steal tax payer money and give it to either segregation academies or christian madrassas.
And those “scholarships” for folks who don’t need a tax credit, they’re ephemeral too. Wingnuts praying that corporate America will donate money for scholarships. Yeah, right. That works too. I don’t think so.
By Riley on March 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 am
Robert Ford is a joke but he is right on this issue. I can only hope he gets in a primary debate with Vince Sheheen, Joe Erwin, Inez and whichever other status quo Dems decide to run. Robert Ford on the stage with them in a primary debate saying as a SC Democrat he wants to legalize gay marriage and school vouchers–wow this should be fun.
By BBeltBuckle on March 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Red Bank Bar,
Those scholarships have worked pretty damn well for thousands of poor kids in AZ, PA and now GA.
But don’t worry – your plan to piss and moan on the comment section of blogs will be a lot more effective
By Red Bank Sucks on March 2nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Red Bank…I pulled my daughter out of public school when they decided to “pull reading through Social Studies,” whatever the hell that means. She goes to a private school that I pay over three grand a year for.
You might have a problem with me getting money to send her there, but, you know, I don’t really give a damn. It’s not up to you to educate my child. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem, and the “ignore it and it will go away” or “throw more money at it and it will improve” methodology hasn’t done a damn thing to improve the scores you worry about so.
When public schools can get back to teaching in the fashion that private schools do, and covering the subjects that matter, and stop experimenting with how to teach students, I’ll send my daughter back. Until then, I pay taxes to support public schools that are failing, and I’d like to get some of that back to offset the cost of putting her in a school that will actually educate her.
You got a problem with that?
By Cooter Brown on March 2nd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
“Vouchers don’t work. They haven’t worked anywhere. They don’t improve test scores anywhere they’ve been tried. No one is going to start a private school in Allendale or Chesterfield. This is just another effort to steal tax payer money and give it to either segregation academies or christian madrassa”
It dont matta if’n it werks or not– folks ought to be free an’ its up t’ th’ pay-rents how deir young’uns ought to be ed-doo-ma-kated.
If folks wan deir childlins to go to a private skool or a church skool, then eitha relieve them of deir burden to support da publick skools (who preach da divinity of da state) or let dem take dier fair share WHEREVERINTHEHELL day want!
If’n dey wants to segregate, dat’s ok too. Freedum is dangerous an’ less than ideal.
Stop wit all dis bull sh*t social engineering commie idiot tyranny and FREE OUR YOUNG’UN from the wicked Department of Educashun!!!
By Its about time on March 2nd, 2009 at 1:22 pm
I’m surprised it took this long for a Democrat to realize that the only one people with out school choice are those that can’t afford it. At least this gives struggling families hope.
I am involved in a private school where I face poor minority families that want to attend the private school but can’t afford it. I have had companies interested in scholarships, but paying someone’s tuition isn’t even tax deductible right now. This will help these families more than anyone and at the same time half the money stays in the public school and they don’t have to do a thing for it.
By baker on March 2nd, 2009 at 1:49 pm
SAT scores are “plummeting”? I think it was a 5-point decline from last year. Will calls that “plummeting”? I don’t know….maybe Will just isn’t being very honest.
And “reading through Social Studies” actually sounds like a pretty good concept to me. History is Social Studies. Geography is Social Studies. International cultures are Social Studies. Doesn’t seem strange or inappropriate to me at all.
Or by “pull….” do you mean they STOPPED doing “reading through Social Studies”? I don’t think you were clear.
I’m fortunate that my child goes to an excellent public school. But even if she didn’t, I doubt I’d feel comfortable with the idea that I should somehow get money out of the pool that goes toward educating her classmates and others in order to send her to private school. And that’s what it would be: My child’s school wouldn’t be able to automatically spend $2,500 or $whatever less just because I decided to put her in private school. The math doesn’t work that way.
And my child has a few classmates who seem to be struggling in class. I don’t think there is a single private school in our county that would accept those students….even if the $2,500 was enough to cover tuition at and transporation to those schools.
By BBeltBuckle on March 2nd, 2009 at 2:26 pm
“…I’m fortunate that my child goes to an excellent public school”
Yeah, right.
Get real – even the “best” public schools in SC were 130 points behind the average SAT scores of NC districts like Chapel Hill this year.
Public schools are like Congress: everyone knows they suck, but some how the same idiots keep getting re-elected. People are convinced that somehow “their” public schools are “different.”
By Darth on March 2nd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Senator Ford has been turned to the dark side by my Sith Master Howie Rich, Robert shall be know as Darth Edsel now that he has returned to his Republican roots…
By Nope on March 2nd, 2009 at 4:26 pm
BBeltbuckle: How far behind the national independent school SAT score are independent schools in South Carolina? Have you looked?
By Nope on March 2nd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Never mind, I’ll go ahead and tell you. National SAT average for independent schools: 1677. South Carolina average for independent schools: 1546. A difference of 131 points.
National independent school average for North Carolina: 1699. Compared with South Carolina, a difference of 153 points.
It would be interesting to see a comparison of the difference in independent school SAT scores between the best South Carolina districts and the Chapel-Hill area (which is populated, of course, by the kinds of people South Carolina only dreams of attracting). I couldn’t find it online, but the evidence above suggests that the difference would be much more even than the difference in public school scores.
By baker on March 2nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
BBeltBuckle….whatever guy. I’m guessing you’re one of those “parents should choose,” “parents are the one to hold schools accountable”….except if you don’t like the opinion of the parent.
By BBeltBuckle on March 2nd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
SC public scores dip from 983 in 2007 to 980 in 2008,
SC private schools shot up from 1023 to 1042.
The average was 1037 at independent private schools and 1048 at religious private schools.
South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS) average SAT score was 1066
By Aquinas on March 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Baker, you stated that your “child has a few classmates who seem to be struggling in class. I don’t think there is a single private school in our county that would accept those students….even if the $2,500 was enough to cover tuition at and transporation to those schools.” Well, I’m proof that right here in SC there is such a place, because I graduated from a private high school that was the last resort for all the dropouts and delinquents from every public school in the area. Some of my classmates were pretty cool, many of them had issues, but all of them were accepted. And we graduated together. ‘Nuff said.
By baker on March 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 am
Aquinas — That’s a good story. I’m glad that school was there for you and your classmates.
My point remains valid, however….unless the school you attended was in the county where I live. The fact that “there is such A place” in SC doesn’t do a darn thing for kids who don’t live in that community.
By Its about time on March 3rd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Baker your point is not valid. Your kid has a good school to go to. If this helps one child get into a school that they would otherwise not be able to afford (and I promise it will help many)it will be worth it. It takes $2500 out of the system, but leaves $9500 in state, federal and local funds on average and the public school system doesn’t have the cost of educating and transporting that child.
By Red Bank Sucks on March 3rd, 2009 at 11:21 am
Baker,
You’re right…I wasn’t clear. The freakin’ school QUIT TEACHING READING, instead focusing on Social Studies as a substitute, “pulling” reading skills by studying Social Studies.
Does that really sound like a sound doctrine to you? I never finished college, but I can hold my own intellectually, because I read constantly. Damn near all I learned after high school came from self-study and reading.
My daughter, in her second year of private school, reads better, and enjoys reading, since it’s a subject on its own, not clumped together with Social Studies with a confusing system of two letter grades.
Your child being in a good school, accents my point, it doesn’t negate it. You have a great school system, I don’t. So, I’m screwed, you’re not, and I can’t transfer her to another district, the Board will turn me down flat. I’m trapped, and as such, I want some of my money back to offset the failures that I’m rectifying in private school.
By Aunt Bee on March 3rd, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Red Bank Bar, I would LOVE to hear your suggestions or ideas to improve the abysmal state of public education in SC. Your entire post was so rich with insults, it made me wonder if you :
a) teach in SC public schools
b) work as one of the many administrators in one of the vast numbers of districts we have, or
c) work for the anti-choice movement as a paid hack. Which one is it? Please reply, I can hardly wait to read your ideas. . .
By baker on March 3rd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
**”Aunt Bee” — Seems to me that there are plenty of insults coming from all sides in this debate. The insults come from Will Folks and SCRG and others almost daily here online and elsewhere, don’t they? And, yes, they’ve come from the other side, as well. All in all, the school choice debate hasn’t been conducted in a very healthy way in South Carolina.
**”Red Bank Sucks” — Any school that does not properly teach reading has problems. I personally don’t see any reason NOT to use Social Studies topics as an entry-point for reading instruction. At the same time, if it’s confusing to the children and parents, then I can see where there could be a problem. I would hope parents’ complaints — if there are others with your concerns — will be taken seriously.
Meanwhile, Jim Rex supported a plan whereby your child would be admitted into another public school district. “Choice” advocate Mark Sanford opposed that plan. I’m not arguing that Rex’s plan was a cure-all, by any stretch….but I do think it may have very well addressed your situtation.
**”Its about time” — I think my argument is entirely valid. I admire your interest in seeing a policy even if it only “helps one child.” I could think of a lot of policy changes that might benefit individual children or families. But while it may be sad and frustrating, common sense tells us that broad public policy must align resources in a way that has the best chance of helping the most people — or those with the most need.
But, hey — I’ve said over and over that if we could come up with a voucher plan that’s (A) targeted on our neediest students, (B) guarantees entry into a solid private school, and (C) provides transportation for those who need it, then that might be great.
Of course, “Put Parents in Charge,” which Will Folks and SCRG and others have touted, does nothing of the sort. In fact, it doesn’t guarantee anything to the poorest families in our state — or those students with the greatest academic and behavioral challenges. So, from a practical standpoint, I don’t see a plan like PPIC as the best chance of improving and reforming education in South Carolina. (In other places, I have listed proposals that I DO think can work.)
And you mention this deal of public schools saving money when the “money follows the child.” But as I and others have explained many times, it isn’t that simple. For example, you suggest they’ll save transportation costs: Unless the kid going to a private school lives in the utter boonies, there isn’t much likelihood that the public school system will be able to delete or greatly alter a bus route. My guess is that very little-to-no money will be saved in the vast majority of cases.
Of course, since we’re on the topic of transportation….since the hypothetical student needs transportation, that’ll be a likely deal-breaker unless the private school or the $2,500 tax credit (or scholarship or voucher….) comes with money to provide transportation.
By Its about time on March 3rd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I see Baker, you will argue against change no matter what. I guess that’s because as you said, your child is in already in a good school.
By baker on March 3rd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
I didn’t “argue against change no matter what.”
I just am not a fan of PPIC and version of private “school choice” I’ve heard touted most strongly in South Carolina. Again, I think the proposal Jim Rex supported would have spoken to your family’s situation.
By Its about time on March 3rd, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Baker- Under Rex’s plan kids could transfer to another school district. If they took all of the state money with them to pay for it, wouldn’t that leave the school they transferred out of in worse financial shape than just loosing $2500 with a Tax Credit?
By baker on March 4th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Yes — I think that could be a problem for individual districts or schools. If the choice takes place within a district — and I think magnet schools present real opportunities for choice where they can work (as with private schools, it may be easier to come up with a variety of magnet options in larger towns) — if the choice is within a district, then that district can likely iron out costs a little easier.
By all means, school finance is a tricky matter. If School A loses 50 students, along with money “following the child” to a private school or another public school, then School A is likely to feel a crunch….or its district will feel a crunch. At the same time, if School A were to lose 200 students, then maybe its district could close the school and save money….that’s where a school choice plan, if it drew students out of a given school at that large a number, might have the effect of saving a public school district money.
Generally, in the same way Will Folks and others say we have too many small school districts, smaller schools also cost more to run. Of course, there are problems associated with “mega-schools” (and mega-districts, if you ask me), too, and some parents and educators think small schools are the best model.
But, anyway, yeah — Jim Rex’s plan likely would have created some headaches and financial issues for a number of public school districts. I never said I was wild about his plan — only that I think it would have spoken to your comment that your child’s district wouldn’t have granted a transfer.