When will we get past the idea that vouchers will help poor people? Vouchers will give a break to people who are already paying for private education.
Here in Lake Forest (often referred to as a tony suburb), our high school spends about $15,000 per child. Sending a child to private school costs about the same. A Catholic school is less but still is expensive. George W. Bush wants to give a family $1,500 for a voucher. Where is the child from North Chicago supposed to get the balance of $13,500 to attend the schools in Lake Forest, its next-door neighbor?
If North Chicago had $15,000 per child to spend, its schools would be a lot better.
Improving our schools will entail more than money, but vouchers are not part of the answer. Vice President Al Gore has better ideas for the role the federal government can play in fixing our schools.
