----- Original Message ----- From: "Yoshie Furuhashi" <furuhashi.1 at osu.edu>
>"Separate and unequal" schools can't be remedied by experimenting
>with vouchers and charter schools. They can be only reformed to some
>degree by abolishing the system of funding schools based upon local
>property taxes and (more importantly) by redistributing wealth from
>the rich to the poor.
Guess what- vouchers do that. They are invariably funded by state funds, rather than local property taxes. By their nature, they end geographic discrimination since they come from more central sources. This is another reason why they have gotten support from some interesting sources. Many voucher programs have been underfunded, so they are not real alternatives for poor families, but vouchers funded at the same level as public schools would essentially eliminate the dependence on local property taxes.
Actually, my most negative view of vouchers is that they would be used to undermine teacher unionism and pay. I don't have that big a problem with charter schools, funded private schools, and so on, as long as they meet basic educational standards and have card-check requirements to qualify for government funds.
-- Nathan Newman