Education Research Group Answers School Choice Concerns

by Jonathan Weaver

A week after the state Senate Education Committee recommended school choice legislation, two education researched answered some questions in Elderton last night.

At the monthly meeting of the Armstrong/Indiana Patriots, a local political-interest group aimed to promote Constitutional principles in the congressional district, hosted Commonwealth Foundation leaders Charles Mitchell and Elizabeth Bryan to discuss the ongoing issue.

Mitchell, who serves as vice-president and chief operating officer, said public misconceptions of the school voucher issue often confuse taxpayers more.

“It’s often said to be a complicated issue – it can get complicated, but honestly I think it only gets complicated if you forget principles and if you buy into some of the misinformation that’s out there,” Mitchell said.

According to Mitchell, one of the misconceptions is that the program takes money away from the public school system. He said money is not being taken away from any organization because it is all taxpayer-funded.

“It is our money for our kids, and I just can’t grant the premise that it belongs to the school district and it’s costing the district money,” Mitchell said.

Bryan, a public policy research advocate, explained the bill and options.

“Senate Bill 1 is two-fold: there’s a voucher portion and a tax-credit portion. The tax credit portion expands the ETIC – it just allows businesses to donate more. Because of the vouchers, there will be more money for middle-class families because the lower income families will be taking vouchers,” Bryan said.

The vouchers offered to many families through this state bill would allow students to choose between other education options, such as the private, cyber school or charter options.

Bryan said the minimum income a four-member family has to make has made it possible for more families to consider other education options.

“People are eligible for the vouchers as long as they are within 130 percent of the poverty line, which is roughly about $28,000 – that’s about 1/3^rd of the kids in Pennsylvania that qualify,” Bryan said.

A Philadelphia native, Mitchell said he has seen students fail in the local school district and run out of options. He said this bill gives those students options and that taxpayers can either pay for schooling options or a very different alternative.

“Your going to spend money on that kid – your choice is do you want to spend a little bit of money on vouchers, scholarship, on some choice to get them out of a failing school or do you want to pay for them when they’re in jail?”

Incarceration expenses cost Pennsylvania taxpayers an estimated $30,000 per year, enough to finance their college education.

Bryan said the Pennsylvania School Board Association (PSBA) and its members across the state have a firm grasp on many school districts and taxpayers should have the power.

“The school unions in Pennsylvania are very powerful – they are a political force to be reckoned with. They are a huge special interest in Harrisburg and they are constantly whispering in legislator’s ears trying to get them to spend more money.

“This is our opportunity to combat union power and reclaim more power for the taxpayers,” Bryan said.

Students who attend private, cyber or charter schools and through this bill would not have to pay school district fees allow families to save billions of dollars.

Foundation researchers estimate families of such students would spend approximately $3 billion to re-enter the public school system. Bryan said local taxpayers spend $13,000 each per year to educate children in the system, but that the system is filled with poor results.

“About 40 percent of our eighth graders are not proficient in math and reading, our SAT scores are at the bottom in terms of the nation – basically, student achievement is (steady) while spending is (rising). We need to do something, but more spending isn’t working,” Bryan said.

Elderton Farmer Gerald Altmire, who was a member of a local group aiming to keep community schools open, H.E.R.O., is still concerned how this bill will effect Armstrong School District enrollment.

“That’s what we’re losing in the whole country, we don’t have a sense of community,” Altmire said.

Bryan responded.

“I think a great thing about school choice that is overlooked is that if you have more school choice, the public schools become better and more kids want to go to their public school. They are learning more and that can foster more community involvement.”

Mitchell responded to a later statement regarding an effort by Senator Don White and Rep. Jeff Pyle (R-Armstrong/Indiana) to interfere with current school district construction projects.

“I like Senator (Jeff) Piccola, (Acting) Secretary (Ronald) Tomalis, but, frankly, they should have nothing to say about your school. Jeff Piccola’s in Harrisburg – last I checked, Harrisburg is not Elderton.”

Mitchell went on to say the Senate Education Committee should not be able to make such monumental decisions just because of policy.

“Forget Senate Bill 1 – what we’re arguing for is a kick to that monopoly,” Mitchell said. “If you guys have a good school in Elderton, you should be able to keep it – you should be able to send your kids there

Elderton Elementary Teacher Dee Craig said not all public school teachers agree with the union.

“But we are not all bad teachers,” Craig said. “Some of us care very deeply about our kids and spend lots of our own money, lots of our own time. I get offended when people start putting us together as one group.”

Craig said some of the issue ties into parental choices.

Mitchell said school choice can appeal to many local residents and asks for their support.

“If you care about the Constitution, if you care about establishing justice, if you care about a government that spends less money, I want to ask you to join us in supporting school choice as passionately as you can because school choice saves,” Mitchell said.