Well, school choice week came and went for the governor and all she did was recognize the national week. During the current legislative session, Of the 17 bills currently being considered on education, I find none deal with school choice. Perhaps it is because school choice bills have been tried and defeated in previous sessions.
Nevertheless, other states are moving ahead with a number of different approaches to school choice, which include vouchers, tax credits and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs).
This year, fifteen state legislatures are considering ESAs as a flexible and popular method of improving education opportunities for parents and students. ESAs can include students attending public school and the funds being used for tutoring, books and study materials. It is a parent’s choice. This may make ESAs more attractive to teacher’s unions which traditionally oppose school choice.
In New Mexico, parents and children have available school choice options which include charter schools, magnate schools and home schooling, but these options are limited and not available to all.
Last year, Arizona passed universal ESA legislation giving $7000 to students. “Universal” means the funds are unrestricted as to use. Other states have stipulated use of funds as only for special education needs. Some states allow the money to accumulate for use in later years.
It is no secret that Republicans are more circumspect about the effectiveness of public schools and therefore favor school choice options more than Democrats.
Democrat politicians raise the issue of the use of public funds and the lack of equal access in rural communities where private schools often do not exist. They claim they are subsidizing children in larger, more populated areas, with a variety of school choices.
They also see the use of vouchers as a drain on public education funds for private schools which are not required to report student outcomes, nor teach a dictated curriculum. Republicans generally object to the WOKE curriculum being forced in many school districts and therefore lean toward schools they approve.
No matter the reason or party affiliation, improving education should not be a partisan issue. It is unfortunate the teacher’s unions have chosen to financially contribute mostly to Democrat candidates, adding to the distrust Republicans have for the union backed public education system.
A child’s education is much too important to be jeopardized by what I will call, petty, politically partisan reasons to maintain power and control.
Like it or not, parental choice in education has become increasingly more popular in the last few years. Perhaps this increase in popularity is due to our students in New Mexico continually finishing at the bottom of the list of national achievement levels.
Public school enrollment is dropping in New Mexico and it is time for politicians to address the reality of the issue. A public education system is important. A failing public education system is not acceptable. Steps must begin at the parent and local school board level to begin reforming the system.
Thirty states offer school vouchers and they are all ahead of New Mexico. Charter schools have better educational outcomes than the average public school. They are privately run schools, by contract, but a part of the public school system. Local school boards should request more charter schools be established to replace failing schools. But again, the teacher’s unions resist. Charter school teachers are generally not union members, nor do they want to be.
We have good options available to improve education in New Mexico, if parents and politicians have the will. It will take all of us to demand and bring about change.
Tom Wright is a Santa Fe writer and investor in El Rito Media, LLC, owner of the Rio Grande SUN.