Although the Republican legislators who represent Hamilton County are not willing to fully fund the BEP 2.0, they have endorsed sending thousands of your and my tax dollars to private schools. The voucher bill (HB1049) provides the promise of a private school education to students currently enrolled in low-performing schools.
Vouchers may provide financial resources; however, vouchers are not the solution. At a time when several school systems are suing Tennessee for inadequately funding the BEP, why are legislators giving their support for the voucher bill? Is it because legislators have joined the pro-private school marketing campaign or because each legislator wants the best for every K-12 student in the state of Tennessee?
The issue of school vouchers is a concerted effort to distract favorable support for public schools in Tennessee. Are our legislators prepared to accept the impact the voucher bill will have on students remaining in ‘failing schools’? Get behind our public schools and provide full support to our students, their parents, and teachers. After all, offering what’s best for the best should be offered to all students. Right? If not, why?
Margaret M. Smith, Ed.D.
Signal Mountain
* * *
I have read many of the editorials that lambast the efforts of Tennesseans who would like the opportunity to take advantage of vouchers to send their children to schools other than public schools. How this effort would hurt public schools and how we should, as good citizens, try to support our public schools.
The problem is that the people who want us taxpayers to support these schools probably don't have school aged children. Well, I do. And what's more, I pay to send my children to a local private school, and watch my tax dollars go to the very same public schools that I refuse to send my children to. I would like to have a say in where my tax dollars go but I don't.
And no, I'm not well off by any means, but I see what my children's school has done for them and in them and that's what sways my thinking and why I send them to said private school.
Kristoffer Tinney
Chattanooga
* * *
Also, Ms. Smith, I ask the question why do we have “privileged” magnet schools where we segregate students, teachers and moneys?
Jay Reed
Falling Water