Arizona moves "to kill public education" with new universal voucher law

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School's out forever: Arizona moves "to kill public education" with new universal voucher law

Families who bail on public school will get $7,000 per kid in GOP's new scheme: "Every red state" urged to follow.

https://www.salon.com/2022/07/01/schools-out-forever-arizona-moves-to-public-education-with-new-universal-voucher-law/

[Scrivener7]

1. The average private elementary school tuition in Arizona is over 9K. SOOOO...

This all goes back to the same place as Roe.

It is designed to get women back into the house, now because they will be needed for homeschooling to bring in that income, and back under the thumb of men.

https://www.privateschoolreview.com/tuition-stats/arizona

[HUAJIAO]

7. It's about segregation !!

[Native]

18. It's also designed to reward wealthy families who already pay for private education.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. Ludicrous.

This puts ALL students at risk.

The Secretary of Education needs to put the foot down.

Let the state of AZ raise funds through taxation to privately educate kids. Public Taxpayer dollars should NEVER go to Private schools. They are PRIVATE for a reason.

[jimfields33]

5. Just because it's available doesn't mean families have to take it

Public school is pretty popular in America. In fact, only conservatives will take it which may actually be a plus for education. All those ridiculous Karen’s won’t be involved anymore. We need to look at the positive of this since it is here to stay.

[Native]

19. After the money is doled out to all the wealthier families who normally wouldn't be getting it,

What's left over for the public school system?

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. No, it's a huge negative; this enables private schools to outbid for the best educators

because they will be subsidized; and it leaves the public schools with higher fixed costs per pupil, but their budgets are cut because some pupils have gone private.

And don't imagine for a moment that "all those ridiculous Karen’s won’t be involved anymore" - not having children currently at a public school already doesn't stop Republican voters, or politicians, from trying to control them.

[Brenda]

3. They sure are All the Fuck In now

They think that this brute force ramming through every little anti-democratic, religious kookery, unAmerican item on their wishlist is going to work now because well, shock and awe baby.

OVER REACH.

Maybe not fighting in the streets but the courts are gonna be real fucking busy.

[TheRealNorth]

8. They have the court that has the final say on all matters....

Don't think they are too worried about the courts.

[Hortensis]

4. Good. People have been refusing to notice that universal public education,

compulsory education, secular education, taxpayer paid education, are under attack by RW extremists. And those who've actually seen some indication don't believe. Can't happen.

It's always been the way for large parts of the electorate to let things get too bad to be able to ignore before putting their foot down, i.e., voting.

[Bettie]

6. "Homeschool expenses"....

Yeah, who thinks that the majority of these funds will be used to educate kids?

Guess Arizona wants a large number of uneducated people.

[TheRealNorth]

9. That's exactly what they want.

- The wealthy will get $7000 that can be put towards their child's private education

- RW churches and other organizations will offer schools that may or may not be subsidized that brainwash as many kids as possible.

- the poor will now be stuck in shit schools. Some teachers will take other jobs and more college students will choose different professions.

It's win-win-win for the Right.

[Bettie]

11. The religious nutjobs will

just keep the cash and sit them in front of a computer. I'm assuming, based on how Arizona is, that there is no accountability on how the money is spent, so you know some parents will not even bother with education.

[TheRealNorth]

12. Yup

Some people will prioritize their addictions, or that 70" flat-screen or new F-150 over their kids" education.

[Bettie]

13. If you have five kids at

7k a head, that's a BIG jump in untaxed income. Heck, it doesn't even count as income, it's just free cash with the idea that maybe you might educate your kid.

[TheFarseer]

20. Can't that money be used on drugs and booze?

Why this argument for any kind of “welfare” spending but not for this?

[Bettie]

23. Yeah, but this suits the agenda of the people

who normally say that, so they are totally going to use it on school....

[Buckeyeblue]

10. Interesting

Voucher means no cash is exchanged. How will the home schoolers with lots of children collect?

I wonder if the law will decrease funding to public schools per student who elects to use a voucher?

I think some kids would do better in smaller private schools, especially kids with anxiety and high sensory issues.

But..we know this isn't why the law is being put forth. It's being put forth to directly fund religious institutions, who will start up half-assed private schools to collect the $$$.

[Bettie]

14. From the article, here is how they will get around it

In practice, the law will now give parents who opt out of public schools a debit card for roughly $7,000 per child that can be used to pay for private school tuition, but also for much more: for religious schools, homeschool expenses, tutoring, online classes, education supplies and fees associated with "microschools," in which small groups of parents pool resources to hire teachers.

So, you find someone who is willing to call whatever you want to buy "homeschool expenses" and you're good to go.

[peggysue2]

15. Mastriano has the same plan for PA

All part of The Plan nationally if these vampires are afforded power and position. Defund anything public and/or for the common good.

Strip the public square, isolate dissenters, control elections and vote counting and make out like bandits.

This is the New Republican Party. Much like the old but on steroids.

[keep_left]

16. It's been clear for some time that their unspoken motto is...

"Community = Communism". A variation on the Maggie Thatcher-ism "there is no such thing as society".

[Deminpenn]

17. He doesn't understand that rural R-voting counties have

public schools, too. Or that people actually like and take pride in their local public schools.

[durablend]

21. Doesn't care

"All that leftist socialist shit needs to go away"

[Deminpenn]

25. Maybe not, but he'd be ignoring the intense dislike

a good majority of ALL Pennsylvanians feel about charter and cyber schools taking money from the local schools.

[Bettie]

24. Also, when you take school districts away

small towns start to die.

[CloudWatcher]

26. I guess they don't think kids are dumb enough

You'd think so many people voting for Trump would have already clued them into just how stupid a lot of people (voters) are ... but they're trying to push it down even more.

The capitalists are drooling though ... gotta have the rubes to fleece.