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There is a potential benefit to them for having smaller vouchers. But such a program would need to be framed as such and the merits of that program would need t
by TimPC 5y ago
There is a potential benefit to them for having smaller vouchers. But such a program would need to be framed as such and the merits of that program would need to be debated. Current voucher programs use the artificially inflated size of the voucher to argue that low-income students are the prime beneficiaries. My sneaking suspicion is that a program designed predominantly for middle income individuals at the expense of low income ones wouldn’t have the broad base of support necessary to become policy.
- sokoloff 5y agoIf you put together a program that credibly promised to save local taxpayers money by providing small vouchers, I think you might be surprised at the pretty broad support it would garner.
- TimPC 5y agoYou’d have to have evidence that the small vouchers changed behaviour enough that the uptick in private school enrolment gave enough reduced costs to the system to pay for the small vouchers for all the people who are already in private schools without any vouchers. I’m skeptical that small amounts of money will change behaviour enough to do this.
- sokoloff 5y agoYou'd have to convince voters this would save them money. Having evidence that small vouchers changed behavior enough is only one way to do that (and is probably the least likely path).
- TimPC 5y agoI think the coalition of private school voters is incredibly small relative to public school ones. There is a much larger block of voters to oppose measures that cost the system money than there is to support measures that save private school users money. I think you do have to convince public school users they will save money to have the votes. Public school users only save money by the behaviour change I posited.