Jim Rafferty’s Jan. 28 letter implies that Democrats opposed to school vouchers are being hypocritical because they would thereby deny the poorest of the poor alternatives to under-performing schools.
If the simple facts are examined, it is the proponents of school vouchers who are being hypocritical. Under a voucher system, those on the bottom rung of the economic ladder, who are most in need of improved education, would be given one-third to one-half of the tuition toward private or parochial schooling.
There is no way the parents of these students would be able to afford the remaining half to two-thirds of the tuition. What would actually result is that these poor students, those most in need of improved education, would be trapped in the underperforming schools.
The difference is that these schools would now have their budgets cut by the amount diverted to vouchers, all but ensuring that they would be providing an even lower-quality education to those left behind.
The real answer is to ensure that all public schools are funded equally by shifting the funding of schools away from property taxes, so that poorer districts can start off on an equal footing with wealthier districts.
