Force progressive school choice opponents to defend the indefensible.
Time to go all in on School Choice
By: George Noga – June 19, 2022
School choice is one of our signature issues about which we have written extensively. Last week’s post described my lifetime of experience with government schools as a student, teacher, parent and choice activist. I published a six-part “Back to School” series (7/25/21 to 8/29/21). All of these are available on our website: www.mllg.us.
The American school choice movement began 31 years ago with the first private voucher program in Indianapolis; in Florida, it began in 1994. Since the inception of the movement, there has been notable progress, with 40 states adopting some form of choice. Within the past year, largely in response to the problems with government schools exposed by the pandemic, 30 states expanded school choice programs.
Although the movement toward school choice has grown, it represents only a small part of total enrollment. Nowhere is it available to more than a small minority of students. Although Florida is often (justifiably) cited as a leader in school choice, it applies to only 200,000 students out of 3,000,000 or 6.7%. There is no US state or political subdivision with universal choice. This must change and the time is now.
School choice is demonstrably good politics. Ron DeSantis would not be governor and positioned to make a presidential run in 2024 without his strong support of choice, combined with his opponent’s vow to abolish vouchers. (His opponent was captive to unions.) Black voucher moms voted 18% for DeSantis while voting only 9% for other state GOP candidates and 7% for the GOP nationally. This resulted in 100,000 more votes for DeSantis, without which he would have lost. The same thing happened in Arizona where Governor Doug Ducey received a 15% boost from Latino voters.
The pandemic exposed many parents to the horrors of government schools for the first time and they were shocked by what they saw – including all the following.
- School boards and PTAs that are 100% beholden to teacher unions
- Mask/vaccine mandates that harmed children medically and emotionally
- Unnecessary school closures that resulted in 1-2 years loss of learning
- Pornography in grade school libraries
- Indoctrination in values antithetical to those of the parents
- Children as early as kindergarten encouraged to question their gender
- Critical Race Theory – teaching that nothing matters except race
- Dismal performance compared to private, parochial and foreign schools
- Teaching the 1619 project that America’s founding was based on race
Universal school choice is a timely and potent issue for 2022, coming on the heels of parents’ revulsion of government schools. Republicans should make this their number one issue and ram it down the throats of their opponents. They should repeat it so often Democrats never again want to hear “school choice” uttered. Make them defend the indefensible. The GOP can make huge inroads in the Black, Hispanic, moderate Democrat and independent vote and scare the bejesus out of progressives. Note: MLLG is non-partisan; however, we support school choice and Democrats oppose it.
The school choice movement has come far in 30 years, but it still has a long way to go until that magical moment when every family in America has the power to choose. There are 50 million K-12 students in America and only about 3 million have the power to choose; that leaves 47 million American children at the mercy of the unions and the educational blob. We must empower every family so that the money follows the child. The most potent force on earth is parents armed with a school voucher!
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More Liberty Less Government – mllg@cfl.rr.com – www.mllg.us
