Support split on vouchers

By Alex Roman
Daily Forty-Niner

The status of Proposition 38 is at this point too close to call.

"Who's winning depends on which poll you're going by," said Mia Lee a field representative for Yes on 38.

The proposition would offer $4,000 vouchers for children in grades K through 12. Public schools currently receive around $7,000 per student depending on the area. The propositions designer intended to allow parents to choose which school they send their children to.

"The problem with the proposition is that it would take funding away from public schools," said Jeremy Prillwitz, a spokesman for No on 38. "This is money that could go towards computers and other equipment."

There are currently six million children in grades K through 12 attending public schools and an additional 650,000 children attending private schools.

The bill would fund 650,000 private school children, assuming that they meet the state's criteria which would increase California's taxes. On a local level, the bill would cost public schools an estimated $7,000 for each student who leaves the public school system.

Lawmakers hope everything will offset.

The $7,000 would revert to the educational budget and fund the $4,000 vouchers. This, ideally, would leave an estimated $3,000 surplus that would be used to pay the costs of those students already enrolled in public schools. Lawmakers hope the effects of the funds lost by public schools will have less of an impact if fewer students attend the public schools.

"I think that this will force public schools to finally step up to the plate and make changes in order to be competitive," Lee said.

The No on 38 camp sees things a bit differently.

"The problem is that it will work as a subsidy for those who can already afford private schools, and would costs taxpayers much more money" Prillwitz said.

The funds would be available for all public schools children effective the 2001-02 school year, while private school children eligibility would be phased in over a four-year period.

In order for private schools to redeem the vouchers, they would have to agree not to discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color or national origin and adhere to the same testing policies as public schools.