GoUpstate.com

This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.goupstate.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.

Back
Article published Feb 6, 2005
Put Parents in Charge Act: Governor's plan focuses on needs of the children over the system

ASHLEY LANDESS
For the Herald-Journal

Any time reform is proposed to an entrenched system, there will be resistance, misunderstanding and misinformation. That has certainly been the case in the discussion over Put Parents in Charge, the school choice plan supported by Gov. Mark Sanford, House Speaker Pro Tempore Doug Smith and other legislative leaders.The plan, which would allow parents to use a portion of their education tax dollars in schools they choose, is also widely supported by South Carolinians.Put Parents in Charge deserves a fair debate focused on facts, not a distortion of the truth driven by fear of change. If we are going to make our education system better, we have to do two things: be honest about where we are today and implement substantive reform that focuses on the children over the system. The good news for parents and children is that we are on the road to doing both.Recent discussions have brought to light facts and figures that have made some folks in the education system uncomfortable and even angry. That is unfortunate. Reform opponents bristle when policy-makers point out that South Carolina is 20th in the nation for per-pupil spending.The only plan that choice opponents support to improve education is to spend more money on the same system. They have spent the past several years trying to convince the public that our state spends only $1,800 per child. What they do not clarify is that the amount is only from one funding source -- that figure does not include all of the state dollars spent, nor does it include any of the local or federal money. Our state actually spends more than four times what opponents claim -- South Carolina spends more than $9,000 per pupil from all revenue sources.Let me be clear: School choice supporters do not oppose public education. Rather, we support the children in the system first. If we, as a state, cannot be honest about where we are, we will never be able to go any further. If we pretend that our system is in great shape and the only thing we need is more money, then we will not see any changes take place in the classroom. And if we do not display serious concern about the dismal achievement data, then we are guilty of accepting it as good enough.Education officials hold news conferences to announce small gains in test scores, but they never discuss our highest-in-the-nation dropout rate or dead-last SAT scores. And when others dare to ask why three-fourths of our eighth graders cannot read at a proficient level, they are accused of "bashing public education."We can't change reality unless we face it first. Three-fourths of our eighth graders read below proficient. Is it any wonder half of them drop out of high school?Thanks to higher standards imposed by the 1998 Education Accountability Act, some gains are being made. But they are far too slow, and too many children are still being left behind. Excellence will not be achieved by continuing to do the same thing and hoping we'll see more gains in another seven years. We cannot afford to wait that long.Those who say there is no proof that choice improves achievement deliberately ignore abundant national research that says otherwise. No public school system in the country has been hurt by choice, financially or otherwise. In fact, there is a great deal of very credible research that proves the opposite.Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby examined Milwaukee's public schools and found that student achievement increased as a direct result of choice. Jay Greene from the Manhattan Institute found the same thing when he studied Florida's public schools.Put Parents in Charge will not take money away from public schools. It is a tuition tax credit, not a voucher. It comes out of the taxpayer's pocket, and it is not public money any more than any other tax credit. Instead of the state spending those dollars in the public school, parents can spend it in schools they choose. Meanwhile, public schools still keep all the local and federal money but without the cost of educating the child who leaves.Contrary to opponents' assertions, this plan will benefit all children. The average tuition for South Carolina independent schools is around $4,000, and the median cost is $3,200. The average tax credit will be between $3,000 and $4,000, and scholarships will be available for low-income families. Put Parents in Charge will ensure that all children have choice, regardless of income level or ZIP code.Education professor Howard Fuller, the former superintendent of Milwaukee public schools, said, "We have got to love the children more than the system." He is right, and no one who cares about improving education should lose sight of that.Ashley Landess is vicepresident for public affairsof the South Carolina Policy Council Education Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organizationin Columbia. For moreinformation about thecouncil, go towww.scpolicycouncil.com.