Since COVID the debate over school choice has become even more pronounced. Schools were shuttered and students learned through several alternative methods. Some accessed on-line tutorial programs or streamed video lessons from their teachers. Some schools used a mix of in-person and remote learning. Others broadcast educational programs on TV and radio which served those students who lacked internet access. There were students who could work independently, utilizing their own textbooks along with worksheets and other printed material. Local organizations and libraries offered tutoring, and teachers organized outdoor classes to maintain social distancing while providing in-person instruction.

None of these were perfect substitutes for traditional classroom instruction. School closures during COVID disproportionately affected students in most need of personal instruction. Disparities between students that have always existed widened as the most vulnerable students experienced multiple obstacles to learning.

An unintended consequence of these school closures was that parents began to take notice of the material being presented to their children, and in many cases, they didn’t like it; making feelings known at school board meetings often led to passionate arguments. Tempers flared, insults were exchanged, and sometimes parents were ejected from the meeting. In one incident a parent was arrested on the scene. A particularly noteworthy incident occurred when a parent tried to read aloud from a book her child brought home from school and was told that it was “too obscene to be read aloud.” Think about that. A passage from a book assigned to a young child was considered too obscene to be read aloud to adults who just so happened to serve on the school board that approved the book.

As news of these incidents circulated around the country parents started to make changes. In 2019 there were roughly 2.5 million children in grades K–12 who were homeschooled. By 2022 that number had increased to 3.1 million. It has since been determined that the number of homeschooled children has grown at approximately 2%–8% per year over the last few years and that number has skyrocketed since 2019. The number of black families who are homeschooling their children has increased from 3.3% to 16.1%. For the most part homeschool curriculums in the U.S. tend not to be tightly regulated, but parents must meet certain basic educational standards and in many cases they must show that their children are making progress. The level of oversight depends significantly on the local laws where the homeschooling takes place.

Parents who homeschool or send their children to private schools are resentful of having their tax dollars sent to schools they do not utilize. Their complaints go head-to-head with the teachers’ unions who cite the advantages of a well-educated citizenry. The influence of teachers’ unions is not inconsequential. There are over 3.2 million full-time teachers serving in more than 130,000 K–12 schools across the United States who are represented by teachers’ unions.  There are national organizations such as the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teacher (AFT), and union affiliates functioning at the state level, such as the Illinois Education Association and the California Teachers Association.

The response of the teachers’ unions to school closures due to COVID and their subsequent re-openings has been mixed. They cite concerns such as safety, equity (!), and contractual issues among other things. Historically we’ve seen teachers’ unions exhibit great resistance towards the issue of school choice. Evidently the unions are comfortable with distance learning but they are very hostile toward the idea of parents having the ability to choose among schools to send their children. In this, teachers’ unions are clearly out of step with the people they serve. A June 2023 RealClear Opinion Research survey of registered voters shows 71% of the public supports school choice.

The objections of teachers’ unions to school choice typically contain various distortions and evasions. The unions obviously believe that public tax dollars should be used to support public schools. This much is true since any society benefits from a well-educated citizenry, although exactly how well-educated graduates of some American schools may be is coming under increasing scrutiny. Union spokespeople then magnanimously declare that parents should have the right to choose a private school option for their children, but then insist that those parents continue to financially support a school their children do not attend. Many of the union bosses advocate for public schools while sending their own children to private schools and academies. (Stacy Davis Gates is a prime example.)

The unions believe that school voucher programs take away funding needed to support teachers, facilities, and educational programs. They argue that charter schools and private schools often offer lower pay, fewer benefits, and less job security, which could lead to a deprofessionalization of the teaching profession. They often cite research which shows mixed academic outcomes in alternative and private schools, with some performing well but many performing at the same level or worse than traditional public schools. They claim that these schools may “cherry-pick” students, admitting higher-achieving or wealthier students while excluding students with disabilities, English language learners, or those from low-income families.

While it is true that they cannot accept students with grave disabilities, that’s because they don’t have the resources to accommodate them. The reason is because the funds that they would use to do so are being diverted to pay the salaries of public school employees. Perhaps if the parents of private school students were not being forced to pay two tuitions (one tuition going to pay for a seat in a state school that they do not use, as well as the private school tuition) they would be able to change that situation.

The unions see public education as a foundation of democracy and as such, should be offered to all children regardless of background. They argue that rather than pursuing school choice options, policymakers should focus on improving public education for all students by addressing issues like class size, teacher pay, school infrastructure, and funding inequities. Instead of diverting taxpayer funds to vouchers, private schools and other alternative schools, the teachers’ unions advocate for more investments in public education, particularly in impoverished and underserved communities.

It comes as no surprise that the teacher’s union would take this position, since these funds represent pure profit for the public school. The public school receives the tax dollars from these parents but they do not have to provide a seat for that child. Over the last 50 years per-pupil spending has doubled while at the same time the overall academic performance of students has declined.

Private schools are sometimes accused of being unaccountable. The fact of the matter is that private schools, their administrators, faculty and staff are just as, and sometimes even more accountable than those in public schools. Private school faculty and staff must earn the same professional certifications and licenses that public school teachers hold. The schools and their employees are accountable to all state licensing agencies including health and fire departments. They are accountable to government accreditation agencies. Schools run by religious orders and/or churches are accountable to the order and/or diocese that operates the school,  their individual Board of Governors and the parents of their students.

It must be working. Catholic schools and private schools regularly boast graduation rates of well over 98%.

At the end of the day it is a simple matter of justice. Shouldn’t parents be able to choose which school their tax dollars support? Should a school (or any institution) receive financial support for a service it does not provide?

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.