Why are Democrats against school choice?

School choice has exploded across the country over the past few years — no thanks to Democrats, who are doing everything they can to prevent families from determining the best education for their children.

One Democrat in Georgia even left her party over its opposition to a school choice package that would have created $6,500 vouchers for students in poor-performing public school districts. Mesha Mainor, who switched her party affiliation to the GOP this week, was the only Democrat in the state legislature to support the bill. She spent weeks urging her colleagues to reconsider their position, pointing out that the bill would primarily help low-income minority students whose families can’t afford to leave failing public schools. In response, Georgia Democrats vowed to oust Mainor from the legislature, with state Rep. Josh McLaurin offering $1,000 to anyone who agreed to primary her.

Are Democrats trying to keep the poor kids out of THIER schools?

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ViciDraco · 41-45, M

I'm not a Democrat, but I frequently vote for them out of a lack of better options. But here is why I am generally against school choice

1. The goal should be to improve the quality of all schools. School choice avoids trying to fix problems in typically poorer areas.

2. Private schools very often have focus on religious indoctrination which doesn't belong in schools

3. School choice vouchers do not cover all expenses and circumstances involved in sending a child to another school. This typically means that poorer families with less resources are still stuck in underperforming schools while wealthier kids get to take advantage of the subsidized education. This leaves the struggling schools to struggle even more.

4. A lot of private schools are able to pick and choose their students and are able to expel them for even minor infractions. This causes a "selection bias" in the schools where some schools do better because they only enroll students who are likely to do better to begin with while public schools are required to take everyone. (This same issue plays out in the private prison system)

sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M

@ViciDraco LOL, imagine parents being in charge of their childrens eddukation....horriffic

ViciDraco · 41-45, M

@sunsporter1649 A parent is always able to homeschool or pay for private school.

Public school is a public investment. We should make sure the investment is working, not find ways to segregate our kids.

Try a new argument.

sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M

@ViciDraco LOL, imagine parents being in charge of their childrens eddukation....horriffic.

ViciDraco · 41-45, M

@sunsporter1649 come back when you are ready to be a serious person

NativePortlander1970

@ViciDraco So in other words, you're all in favor of statist indoctrination, gotcha.

sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M

@ViciDraco We knjow, only the gubberment knows what children are permitted to learn in skool.

ViciDraco · 41-45, M

@NativePortlander1970 I approve of the concept of public schools and keeping public money exclusively for public schools. What is being taught and how it is being taught can be open for public debate. And there is a lot of room to improve schools, including more focus on critical thought over rote memorization.

NativePortlander1970

@ViciDraco i.e you love being a drone for the state.

Thrust · 56-60, M

@ViciDraco

School choice avoids trying to fix problems in typically poorer areas.

WRONG. School choice incentivizes underperforming schools to get their act together since if there aint no students, school goes bye bye

ViciDraco · 41-45, M

@Thrust Public schools should not be at risk of going bye bye. At risk of administration change, absolutely. This is a public service, not a business.

It's like saying you want to take squad cars and guns away from a police precinct if they underperform. That's just going to make the problem worse. Instead, you either improve training or replace the people running it.

School choice is a purposefully designed program to undermine public services in favor of private for-profit solutions. You need only look at how terrible the cost vs qualify private universities are to see the long term implications of that road.

sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M

@ViciDraco

ViciDraco · 41-45, M

@sunsporter1649 come back when you are a serious person

sunsporter1649 · 70-79, M

@ViciDraco

Gibbon · 70-79, M

@ViciDraco WTH? I Often see comment of public schools going bye bye. I went to public school before the DOE existed. Tell me why the DOE was needed? I'll tell you. It was created so the left could control kids education and indoctrinate them to their evil agenda and multi gender BS ways. Go pound sand.

DogMan · 61-69, M

@Gibbon Not only that, the DOE donates 10's of millions every year to the DNC.

DogMan · 61-69, M

@ViciDraco DEI is already segregating children, into little special groups. We need unity.