Survey Results are in: Virginians Support School Choice - But what do we do next?
So I should start off with apologies for not having a chance to write on this earlier this week, but those of you who follow us on Twitter know that we’ve been trying to keep up with sharing all the coverage of our announcement of the new survey conducted here in Virginia by the Friedman Foundation on education issues.
On Monday, we were honored to be a part of a large group joining the Friedman Foundation in the release of “Virginia’s Opinion on K-12 Education and School Choice.” (The folks from Friedman have told us that our coalition of release partners was larger than any state so far, including: The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, Virginia Catholic Conference, The Family Foundation, The Chase Foundation of Virginia, The Alderson Family Foundation, Virginia Council for Private Education, Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium, Old Dominion Association of Church Schools, Agudath Israel of America - Mid-Atlantic Region, Verizon Virginia, Markel Corporation, Joe Ragan’s Coffee and Office Products, School Choice Virginia, The Lexington Institute, and Americans for Prosperity – Virginia. National organizations include the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), Association of Christian Schools International, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, National Catholic Educational Association, and United States-Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation.)
As if that list of partners wasn’t impressive enough, the findings of the statewide survey added the real punch.
Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to those of us on the ground working for education reforms (and those of us who have ever talked to parents about educational choices for their kids), but a majority of likely voters support school choice options (including tax-credit scholarships, vouchers and charter schools) and would opt for schools other than their traditional public schools.
Now before someone jumps in with the old argument that “well they must all be AGAINST public schools then!” - one of the interesting finds of the survey was that actually a majority of Virginians rate their public schools as good or excellent (which Friedman hasn’t found in other states). But while they have high opinions of their public schools, they STILL support more educational choices, showing again what we’ve said all along that this isn’t about public versus private, and that you can support your traditional public schools AND be for school choice.
Second point- this isn’t some right-wing Republican plot against the public school system. Nope. In fact there is strong support for tax-credit scholarships AND vouchers among Democrats, Republicans and Independents. And that support is significant:
* Tax-credit scholarships: D: 64% | R: 68% | I: 66%
* Vouchers: D: 53% | R: 67% | I: 58%
* Special needs vouchers: D: 81% | R: 79% | I: 76%
Yes, you read that right. The majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents support school choice options- even VOUCHERS! (And here we were being told “voucher” was practically a dirty word!)
Perhaps even more significantly (especially for those of us who enjoy the numbers game), the favor-oppose gaps between those who support versus those who stated their oppposition to these choice options was very large.
* Tax-credit scholarships: D: +43% | R: +46% | I: +44%
* Vouchers: D: +15% | R: +39% | I: +22%
* Special needs vouchers: D: +67% | R: +64% | I: +60%
So, the big question has been: Well, what does this all mean for Virginia?
Well, some of that is in your hands. While we are doing our part to share the results of this survey with newly elected lawmakers, the media, parents and other policy-influencers, you can help by getting involved! Share this survey with your Delegate and Senator. Ask them if they will support education reforms that will provide parents greater access to educational options. Because at the end of the day, a survey is good at telling you the overview, but actually hearing directly from voters living in your own legislative district is even better. So join us in sharing this survey- and join us in sharing your support for education reforms!
Who speaks for our children?
“When the media talk about public schools, we always hear about teachers, salaries, tenure and classroom size- what I want to know is why don’t we hear more about the parents and the students? If policy is focused on students- wouldn’t they see better results?” (Steven Crowder, PJTV)
It seems jaw-droppingly obvious. When we talk about education- we should be focusing on kids, right? After all, the children are the ones attending school (hopefully) and the ones who are supposed to be receiving an education (again, hopefully).
But as Mr. Crowder states- far too often it seems, the real focus of the education debate gets lost in the political turf-war waged aggressively by an entrenched special-interest: the teachers’ unions. While trying to maintain the facade that they are the ones fighting “for” our children, they continue to pursue an agenda that adamantly resists any change that may actually prove beneficial for students- changes like greater parental choice in education.
I know that, perhaps, I am repeating myself here, but when are parents going to stand up and take back control?? We know that overwhelmingly parents support greater choices in education- as Mr. Crowder notes in the video, in DC that number is around 80%- so when are parents going to realize that the unions are not supporting the best interests of their children?
It is fair here, too, to place some of the blame on the politicians - as they continue to place the interests of unions over the interests of children. Not that it is any excuse - but when politicians are hearing from a very vocal group, even if it is, in reality, a very small minority- they can often be mislead into believing that they are are somehow doing the right thing. And so again, it comes back to parents to become advocates for their children and to let lawmakers know they will no longer sit idly by and allow unions to dominate the debate over the future of education.
What parents, and politicians, must remember, is that a union- even when comprised of teachers- is a special interest. Their mission is to protect the interests of their members. Period. The students and parents are NOT a member of the union- and therefore will never be the primary interest of the union.
As a parent, what can you do? Get involved! Call, email, visit your local legislator (or local House of Delegates candidate)- talk to them about education. (Don’t know your local legislators- find them here.) Ask them what they propose to improve education. Are they willing to talk about educational choices- or do they just talk about teacher salaries, tenure, classroom size and funding? Urge them to support school choice and charter school options for families. Remember, many of our own lawmakers are also parents, too- and education issues directly impact them as well. They need to hear from other parents- not just special interests- and they need to hear that parents are supporting education reforms that are focused on children first.
SIGN THE PETITION: Voice Your Support for School Choice Today!
In less than 50 days, Virginia voters will head to the polls to elect a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. In addition, all 100 seats of the House of Delegates are up for election.
We want the new Governor and the legislature to know that education reform matters to Virginia voters. They need to hear that education reform matters to you.
How can you make sure your voice is heard?
Join us today by signing our petition of support for school choice and education reform so that we can deliver a strong message that Virginia families demand change. We will be delivering your message to the newly-elected Governor and legislators so that they know Virginia voters want real education reforms now.
Thank you for supporting educational reforms for Virginia’s children!
Quick morning updates
The Virginia legislature is back in Richmond today for a special session. While originally called to deal with a Supreme Court opinion dealing with evidence in legal cases, the Governor has now announced a further budget shortfall and the need for more than $1 billion in budget cuts.
More tributes to Mrs. Rose Friedman, a tireless school choice and freedom advocate, who passed away yesterday.
And an interesting article in the Washington Times, “Don’t look for the union label.”
Maybe there can be too much of a good thing. That appears to be the lesson to take from two kinds of school choice — charter schools and education voucher programs — that have enjoyed increasing success in recent years. As voucher programs come of age and charter schools proliferate, they are both threatened by the tedious mandates and workplace rules they were created to circumvent.
And the implacable enemies of school choice, teacher unions, have supporters between a rock and hard place. They say they will give up their old hostility, but there’s a catch: First schools must be unionized and regulated by government.
Florida Reports on Cost Savings from School Choice
The folks over at Virginia’s Cost Cutting Caucus (a bipartisan group of state legislators working for a more transparent, accountable and competitive government that will yield better services at a lower cost to the taxpayers) reported today on the report released by Florida’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability on the fiscal impact of their tax credit scholarship school choice program.
The results are not so surprising to us, but still impressive nonetheless: “The Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarship Program Saves State Dollars.“
One key finding worth noting, the report concludes that for “Fiscal Year 2007-08, taxpayers saved $1.49 in state education funding for every dollar loss in corporate income tax revenue due to credits for scholarship contributions.”
As we have said before, school choice works. It gives parents choices, it gives kids opportunities, and it saves taxpayers money.
Take a look at the report online here: http://www.oppaga.state.fl.us/reports/pdf/0868rpt.pdf
UPDATED: Some Virginia school choice bills for 2009
The 2009 General Assembly session is in full swing. Here are a few of the school choice bills up for consideration here in Virginia this year. Let us know your thoughts!
- HB 1965 Public/Private Education Investment Tax Credit (Delegate Chris Saxman)
- HB 2104 Students with Disabilities Tuition Assistance Grant Program (Delegate Bill Janis)
- SB 956/HB1985 Autism Tuition Assistance Grant Program (Senator Walter Stosch, Delegate John O’Bannon)
- SB 1221 Businesses; tax credits for donations to nonprofit organizations providing educational funding (Senator Mark Obenshain)
UPDATE: We also wanted to mention Delegate Bob Marshall’s HJ641: School choice programs; joint subcommittee to study programs for secondary school students.
Unfortunately with this year’s budget, it appears that new studies will not be approved, however, we appreciate Delegate Marshall’s efforts to provide the Commonwealth further study and consideration of the benefits and impacts of greater school choice for secondary school students.
We will continue to add updates with any additional legislations.
2009 General Assembly Session Underway
It’s finally here! The 2009 Virginia General Assembly session has officaly begun.
This year’s “short-session” will certainly be a fast-paced and action-packed 45 days. We’ll be doing our part to keep you up to date on all the latests happenings from Richmond.
For more on this year’s General Assembly, visit their website at: http://legis.virginia.gov. There is lots of information available, including information on how to find and contact your legislator (and encourage them to support school choice!).
In a new addition this year, you can watch online live broadcasts of the House floor sessions (which generally begin every day at noon).
Watch the House session online here.
The Senate floor sessions will also be shown online here.
We’ll be adding more updates from Richmond soon!
