Much as I admire Mayor Guiliani and the excellent job he's
done for New York City I can't agree with him on every issue. I
can't understand his logic behind his support for a Yankee
Stadium in Manhattan. The Yankees should stay in the Bronx in
their landmark home.
Manhattan needs another tourist attraction like it needs a return
to high crime statistics.
Another issue that causes me some concern is his insistence on
publicly funded school vouchers. This is rapidly developing into
a battle-royale between the Mayor and his school chancellor, Rudy
Crew. We are very fortunate here that our Staten Island public
schools are superior to that of the other boroughs.
However, I can understand why the mayor may feel that school
vouchers will help the disadvantaged children who are at risk
from failing schools but publicly funded vouchers may not be the
answer. School choice is not the panacea that proponents claim it
is if it involves public money. The argument for school vouchers
is that since the city is spending x amount of dollars per
student perhaps it would be better to give students from failing
school districts the funds to opt out of the public school
system. What has not been examined, however, is the negative
impact on the inner city parochial school system.
Recent studies by researchers at the University of Chicago
confirm that urban minorities in parochial schools perform better
than comparable students in the same neighborhood public schools.
As a product of an inner city parochial school I certainly won't
argue with this study.
My husband and I put all of our six children through the
parochial school system even though we couldn't afford it. Was it
worth it? Absolutely.
I never had to worry about drugs or violence at their schools and
our children received religious instruction that complemented our
teachings at home. They have emerged into young adulthood, drug
free, non-drinkers and, most importantly, possessing a strong set
of spiritual values.
But we have to make tremendous sacrifices in our home lives to
afford the multiple tuition fees and we are not the only parents
who are struggling with this burden. When parents are willing to
sacrifice everything to provide the best possible education for
their children they also become significantly more involved in
their children's schools. This is the secret behind the success
of the parochial school system.
Two years ago, private vouchers were distributed on a lottery
basis to public school parents. I listened to the complaints of
the other parents at my daughter's school who felt it was unfair
that they were not eligible to receive tuition relief for their
own families. While I sympathized with this argument I also
thought that our struggling school would benefit from the
increased enrollment. Now in the second year of this experiment
I'm not so sure the additional funds were worth it.
Critics charge that these schools succeed because unruly students
are expelled and dumped into the public school system. They also
claim that the classes are smaller and the students are able to
learn in a quieter environment. It's not as simple as that.
Parochial schools succeed because of the high level of parental
involvement and concern and also because they leave the matter of
discipline in the hands of the school's administration.
I can't speak about all the families who received vouchers but
the personal experience I've had at our local school reveals a
flaw in this grand plan of school vouchers. Some parents whose
children have transferred from the public school system have
bristled at criticism about their child's behavior in class. They
also have complained when the school has requested more active
participation in their children's school life.
One mother was furious when I reprimanded her unruly child for
striking another during an after-school program I was monitoring.
She was a public school teacher who felt that she was the only
one who had the right to correct her darling child. I felt like
telling her that her child was out of control but I held my
tongue.
It's not enough to send a child into another school system
without preparing them with the right attitude to adjust to the
change. Many of these children have never been assigned homework
and now have to deal with nightly additional work. Discipline in
a classroom is necessary for effective teaching and children who
are not used to strict rules create disruptions.
What is the answer? Some public schools are failing our children
and parents in that school's neighborhood who are truly concerned
should be permitted to access good educational alternatives.
Using taxpayer-funded vouchers may seem the simplest method but
they cross the line separating church and state.
Needy private schools may be hungry for the additional money that
increased enrollment brings in but when they start accepting
municipal funds will they be forced to adjust their curriculum to
meet secular guidelines? Can they afford to lose their religious
identity to survive?
There are alternatives to school vouchers. Private scholarships
for deserving, hard-working students would insure that these
children are capable and ready to commit to more rigorous study.
Tuition tax credits would allow families who are supporting two
school systems, public and private, to receive some return of
their investment in their children's education in the form of tax
rebates.
It's simply not enough to pass out vouchers that will empty the
public schools. If parents want their children to get the best
education, they should make sure that their children have current
textbooks, clean facilities and good teachers in the schools they
now attend. There is no excuse for the condition of some schools
and parents should be demanding answers from a school board that
oversees a budget of $11 billion. Failing schools don't have to
exist if parents would only get involved.