Devil's deal…

National Review, Sept 15, 1997 by Ronald L. Trowbridge

5. "If government control becomes too stringent, private-school recipients of government money can elect later to reject that money and accompanying control." True. But most will not be able to do so. Having received the largesse, most private schools will then expand curricula, staff, buildings, salaries, and budgets to the point of irrevocable dependency. (Coincidentally, this expansion, enabled by the infusion of government money, will drive up the costs of private schooling.) With the rare exceptions of Grove City, Hillsdale, and a few others, all private colleges in the U.S. have demonstrated that reliance upon government money becomes irreversible. The recent Virginia Military Institute and Citadel cases illustrate this dependency.

6. "Educational choice needs to be given a chance and has never been tried on a national scale." Not true. It already exists throughout the country at the college level, and what have we found? Pervasive political correctness, excessive dropouts, and exorbitant costs.

In order to implement competition within the educational system and, further, to enable inner-city youths to escape poor and dangerous schools, many good people will argue that the virtual loss of private education is still worth it. But we must at least be honest in confessing that it will be a heavy price to pay, bringing about a loss that will be virtually irrevocable.

Republicans usually seek less government intrusion, but their action on vouchers would greatly expand the reach of government. Moreover, as Chester Finn observed in NATIONAL REVIEW (June 17, 1996): "After the 1994 election Republicans promised that the Department of Education would be eliminated, the federal role downsized, Goals 2000 repealed, and control restored to parents and communities, but essentially nothing has actually been done."

All of this might be sound and fury signifying nothing: There is evidence that the voucher/choice movement, if it includes private schools and is subjected to referenda, is already stone dead. While the issue is hot, the action is verbal, not actual -- and movement comes from legislative fiat, not popular referenda. The chief reason for this is that, ironically, too many grassroots Republicans and conservatives oppose it, for among the following reasons:

-- Half of Republicans are satisfied with public schools.

-- Current or prospective customers of private schools (parents) don't want the status quo disturbed for their children.

-- Many Republicans and conservatives don't approve in principle of taxpayer money going to religious schools; four-fifths of private schools are religious.

-- Many realize that government money to private schools sooner or later will be followed by government control.

Though by no means a perfect alternative, it is better to promote 1) widespread charter schools, 2) voucher choice restricted within the public-school system, 3) private sponsorship, and 4) educational tax credits.