Reynolds’ voucher program will cost Iowa taxpayers over $200 million in year two
- Thread starter cigaretteman
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Well, I am familiar with private schools, and the families that attend, from decades of actual experience.
And...you're just an old guy on the internet, with no direct private school experience. So, I think my opinions on this topic and much better informed than yours.
You are familiar with a few, specific private schools that you and your family attended. Trying to extrapolate that into understanding the private school system statewide is absurd and just more misinformation from you. That's like saying you've driven a number of cars for many years and then trying to claim you know the car business. GTFO
I am quite familiar with private schools and public schools but that doesn't give me knowledge on this subject. Understanding the details of the measure, the costs, the impact, the lack of oversight and the failures of similar systems is the basis for my knowledge. Yours is based on receiving direct benefits which is all you care about.
Then they should get a pro-rated voucher amount.
Consistent w/ what public schools have to shell out to educate those more costly students.
The voucher amount is already less than the average cost per student,.. So even when a voucher is issued, the public school system still retains a portion of their normal funding for that student even though they aren't responsible for educating them,.. It's possible that the dollars need to be massaged a bit to get this correct, but the elements are in place to accommodate the higher cost associated with special needs students in the public school system...
This is another of the misinformed and misguided responses to the issue.
The vast majority of students receiving the vouchers never went to public school.
No; it's not. It's the amount the public school would have received.
The money goes to the school, not the church. No need for name calling.
If the student was attending public school but in the majority of the cases they were not. It's merely a subsidy for those students who were already attending private schools.
No, they do not. The school board controls the school. You have no idea what you're talking about.
The Regina Board of Education is the governing body of the Regina Inter-Parish Catholic Education Center
You're a lying sack of shit.
But while not attending public school these students were still contributing towards their complete share of a public school education while simultaneously shouldering the added cost of a private school education,.. This is not an inexpensive thing for most families,.. The voucher program allows these students to claim a portion their allocated funds for use elsewhere, while leaving the balance within the public school system,.. I think this is a more equitable approach for all parties.
That was their choice. Those monies gave them a spot in public school. They chose to pay to go to private school. That choice is not something taxpayers should be funding, particularly when you learn that those schools are not open to everyone and have no oversight.
The voucher amount is the cost of the average student. That $7600 per kid was not going to the public school in most cases. This is a huge additional cost to taxpayers to subsidize families who were already paying for private school. And it has allowed the private schools/church to raise their tuition so they can take in even more revenue.
It's a sham.
In calendar year 2023 the total average distribution per voucher student was $8,840,.. This was distributed as $7,635 to the student in the form of their voucher, and $1,205 to the public school system itself...
Which is basically their budget increase for the year.
There's no way to spin this as anything other than a sham.
How were they contributing to public schools while not attending the school? Every year early in October there is a count day, the school then receives funding based on the number of students enrolled not the number of students that live in their district.
And, as has already been explained to you, special needs students cost 3x-4x that allocated amount.
Which means public schools have more like $5000-5500 to spend on 'regular' students, compared with what the public school vouchers are providing.
Not sure how many times that needs to be explained to you here.
I addressed this in post 448...
"It's possible that the dollars need to be massaged a bit to get this correct, but the elements are in place to accommodate the higher cost associated with special needs students in the public school system"
Here we go again, few if any parents contribute enough in state and local taxes to fund the vouchers each of their children receive.
It's not just their contribution,.. It's their portion of the entire educational pot funded by all taxpayers for the benefit of their children, and ultimately society as a whole...
From Post 439...
"If you believe in the concept of society sharing in the cost of educating our children, then making a student's educational dollars transportable becomes an entirely reasonable option"
You're arguing against yourself.
The fact is the taxpayers costs are rising by hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize a select set of parents and private schools rather than the public schools. If the private school attendance increases by 10% (which is a stretch) that's roughly 4000 students who "benefit" from this. $200M+ to benefit 4000 students? Is that a good use of tax dollars?
It is a waste of time arguing about this. Professionals such as Stout on here have overseen this process and predicted every outcome of this program. It is a total sham. Welfare checks for already well off. Anything Republicans are behind is economic inequality on steroids. The sad thing will be watching rural Iowa districts in Iowa suffer, which encompasses the majority of our state.
Actually Iowa taxes have been going down. And, we have a big budget surplus.
I thought people always wanted to spend it on education. Turns out, it wasn't really about the kids, or education...but instead propping up the employers of the loudest complainers on this board.
I thought people always wanted to spend it on education. Turns out, it wasn't really about the kids, or education...but instead propping up the employers of the loudest complainers on this board.
Property taxes are not going down. The surplus will be gone. Public schools will continue to be underfunded. But you can get the new jet ski and your church can upgrade the chapel so all is good.
Deplorable.
That select set of parents has been overly subsidizing the public school system for years, and It's time they get a fair shake,..If we believe that society as a whole should share in the cost of educating our children then let's do that,.. If we want to simply say that everyone needs to pay their own way I'm fine with that as well, but I seriously doubt any of us would like the result of that approach,.. In the end some public schools may need to consolidate and some taxes may need to increase, but I'm good with that...
Sounds great if every student has equal opportunity to use the vouchers, then we would be supporting ALL OUR CHILDREN. That's not the case when private schools can deny enrollment.
The select set of parents chose not to make use of the school system available to everyone. They chose to spend additional money which is their right. Now they want their special interest paid for by all of us, but not available to all children.
And the rest of us have been enjoying that free ride for years,.. As I've said, if we want our entire society to share in the cost of educating our children, then let's do that...
