People are shocked when I tell them the federal money follows the child if parents accept vouchers. School choice sounds so liberating, right? They should call it "school dictate." Thank you for this great article!
This is quite the elaborate conspiracy theory and you list a bunch of names but at least one of them, Royce West, opposes SB2. I also don't believe that all the school choice bills "look almost identical across different states". This is easy to claim but much harder to disprove but, just comparing Utah's "Utah Fits All Scholarship Program" (2023 HB 215) with Texas' SB2 I see major differences like having to submit an annual portfolio of student achievement instead of the annual norm-refereneced assessment. Did I happen to get lucky by looking at Utah? Which state has passed a school choice bill that looks "almost identical" to SB2?
Fortunately, we can all read SB2 and see that your claim that it "hands control over parental rights to the government" is in direct conflict with the section of SB2 that expressly protects the autonomy of the voluntary participants, providers, and vendors. The "strings" in SB2 used to track success and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse are SUPER reasonable including an annual standardized test and a background check for (non-parent) providers directly engaging with children. Oh, and you can't try to re-sell materials purchased through ESA to make a profit or funnel money to a relative as your kid's co-op or tutor. Of course, those who don't like those "strings" don't have to apply for an ESA.
I can see you've put a lot of time and energy into this conspiracy by listing various loose associations and names of people who actually oppose SB2....but it just doesn't generate the fear or concern you intend because I've actually read the bill and, like Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell, I believe breaking the public school monopoly and giving more control / choice to parents is a major step in the right direction.
People are shocked when I tell them the federal money follows the child if parents accept vouchers. School choice sounds so liberating, right? They should call it "school dictate." Thank you for this great article!
This is quite the elaborate conspiracy theory and you list a bunch of names but at least one of them, Royce West, opposes SB2. I also don't believe that all the school choice bills "look almost identical across different states". This is easy to claim but much harder to disprove but, just comparing Utah's "Utah Fits All Scholarship Program" (2023 HB 215) with Texas' SB2 I see major differences like having to submit an annual portfolio of student achievement instead of the annual norm-refereneced assessment. Did I happen to get lucky by looking at Utah? Which state has passed a school choice bill that looks "almost identical" to SB2?
Fortunately, we can all read SB2 and see that your claim that it "hands control over parental rights to the government" is in direct conflict with the section of SB2 that expressly protects the autonomy of the voluntary participants, providers, and vendors. The "strings" in SB2 used to track success and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse are SUPER reasonable including an annual standardized test and a background check for (non-parent) providers directly engaging with children. Oh, and you can't try to re-sell materials purchased through ESA to make a profit or funnel money to a relative as your kid's co-op or tutor. Of course, those who don't like those "strings" don't have to apply for an ESA.
I can see you've put a lot of time and energy into this conspiracy by listing various loose associations and names of people who actually oppose SB2....but it just doesn't generate the fear or concern you intend because I've actually read the bill and, like Milton Friedman and Thomas Sowell, I believe breaking the public school monopoly and giving more control / choice to parents is a major step in the right direction.