Editor’s note: This is oped is by Daren M. Houck, headmaster of The Mountain School at Winhall.
I continue to be amazed with the anti-choice sentiments of a few voices in Vermont, most recently the editorial (“Keep private schools out of the choice mix”) in the Burlington Free Press. It’s amazing that so many individuals seem to know what is “best” for other people’s children.
According to the February 2009 survey written by Paul DiPerna and conducted by Strategic Vision, choice is exactly what Vermonters want. Of the 1,200 Vermont citizens polled, four things stood out:
* 89% of Vermonters want school choice (with options that include private schools);
* 44% of respondents would send their children to private schools;
* 64% support Vermontís longstanding town tuitioning system; and
* Vermont Democrats, Republicans, and Independents share common ground on school choice.
Surprised? We shouldn’t be; the evidence supporting school choice is astounding:
* Choice saves taxpayer’s money: Susan Aud’s comprehensive 1990-2006 study shows that states and districts offering universal choice saved a net total of $22 million in state budgets and $422 million in local budgets (Susan Aud, “Education by the Numbers: The Fiscal Effect of School Choice Programs, 1990-2006,” April 2007).
* Choice leads to better PUBLIC SCHOOL achievement: Repeated studies have unanimously found that vouchers improved public schools, too (William Howell and Paul Peterson, The Education Gap: Vouchers and Urban Schools; Caroline Hoxby, “Rising Tide,” Education Next, 2001; Jay Greene and Greg Forster, “Rising to the Challenge: The Effect of School Choice on Public Schools in Milwaukee and San Antonio,” 2002; and many more!).
* Choice leads to increased housing values: In a 1990-2000 study led by Erick J. Brunner of the University of Connecticut, choice increases the value of homes AND draws wealthier families to lower-income neighborhoods where choice is offered (“Good News for Realtors: School Choice Boosts Home Values,” Education Week, February 2, 2010).
Beyond the data, however, school choice is also socially just. “Public” district lines reproduce the segregated housing patterns found in every city and state in this nation. The housing markets in “good” districts are higher than in lower performing ones. Many families from low-income neighborhoods cannot afford to live in the “wealthy” districts or pay privately for an independent school education. The cycle continues.
Regardless, many of our elected officials continue to fight and oppose choice. So I ask–when will our representatives make the obvious choice that truly represents Vermonters, saves taxpayers money, improves achievement for all students, increases housing values–AND is socially just?
