Private School For Obama's Children But Not For Yours
By Dave Gibson (10/18/08)
In 2003, Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams stunned his fellow liberals when he came out in support of private school vouchers. Williams had been a longtime opponent of school choice. However, he had finally had enough of watching children fall behind in the District’s failing public schools. He decided to place the children before partisan politics and endorse the vouchers. This fall, 1,900 D.C. children again received vouchers and will have a chance at a better life thanks to Mayor Williams.
D.C.’s current mayor, Adrian Fenty is also a proponent of school vouchers.
In January 2003, over the objections of most Democrats, Congress passed a bill by a one- vote margin, which put $14 million dollars a year into the hands of D.C. parents seeking school vouchers. Though this was a positive step toward educating our children, the $14 million falls well short of what is needed. However, that is still 1,900 children who now have a chance at a quality education, who otherwise would not have.
As another school year has just begun, many more children will be introduced to our nation's public school system. Unfortunately, many of them are now in failing schools. Our public schools were once a model for the rest of the world, now they are an embarrassment.
A 2003 UNICEF study, concluded that the United States ranks 18th out of 24 nations in the effectiveness of its education system. The U.S. ranked behind Finland, Australia, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands, United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore among others.
At best, the parents of a publicly educated child can expect that their child will be left behind in an ever-competitive job market. At worst, they can expect their child will be physically assaulted on his way to the lunchroom.
A few days ago, we watched the final debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. For the first time in this election season, we finally heard these two talking about the very important topic of education, and more importantly the subject of school vouchers.
Not surprisingly, Obama opposes the use of vouchers to send low-income children to private schools, while McCain supports them. Of course, Obama sends his children to a wonderful and very expensive private school, while he thinks that the public schools are acceptable for our children.
In July 2003, Obama said: “I think that we have to consider every possibility of improving what admittedly is an intolerable school system for a lot of inner-city kids. I do not believe I school vouchers.”
In July 2007, Obama spoke at the NEA’s annual convention. He told the crowd of teachers that he would never “abandon public schools,” by giving out school vouchers. He also said that he thought a great way to invest in our children was by “raising teachers’ salaries.”
So, even though Obama believes that our public schools have become “intolerable,” he still wants our kids to continue attending them. While he believes that public schools are good enough for our children, he sends his two daughters to private school.
Obama’s two daughters attend the University of Chicago Lab School. The spawling campus boasts three gyms, a dance studio, a gymnastics facility, a swimming pool, and a fitness center.
Middle school students can participate in several music programs, including chamber music, as well as a jazz band.
In the age of technology, it is very important that children become highly proficient in the use of computers if they are to be competitive in the job market. The University of Chicago Lab School apparently understands this and lists the following description of their computer labs on their official website:
“The Lower School computer lab is equipped with 26 iMac and three G5 Macintosh computers. Color scanners, digital cameras, and color printers are available for student use.
All computers have access to applications for word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, multi-media, and LOGO programming, as well as a variety of specialized educational programs. The computers are equipped with network access to allow students to explore the Internet. Library card catalogues and magazine article indices are available at each computer through the school's network.”
“The Middle School Computer Lab is used for Middle School and High School computer science classes and is available for teachers to use as a tool in other subject area classes. When not in use by classes, the computers are available for independent student use.
The room is equipped with 26 iMac DV computers and two graphics stations comprised of Macintosh G5s with 22-inch monitors, and color scanners. A computer connected to a ceiling-mounted projector is used for demonstration and instruction. Black-and-white and color printers are available for student use. All computers have access to applications for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, graphics, multi-media, programming in a variety of languages, and many other uses. Specialized software for math, world language, and science classes is also available.
All computers have Internet access for students to access their server accounts or explore the Internet. The library card catalogues and magazine article indices are available through the school's network.”
These amenities do not come cheap. The Barack and Michelle Obama have one daughter attending classes in the lower school and one in the middle school. Yearly tuition for the lower school is $18,492, while tuition for the middle school is $20,286. The Obama’s pay a total of $38,778 a year so that their children will have the best education available.
While Obama may be incredibly hypocritical, he is certainly not alone in his wish to keep the majority of American children stuck in a failing system.
The National Education Association, which is the nation’s largest teachers union and a powerful lobbyist group, has always opposed school vouchers. Among other things, the NEA claims on their official website that vouchers “would only encourage economic racial, ethnic, and religious stratification."
Is the NEA saying that minorities or poor kids cannot compete in this nation's private schools?
That is nonsense!
In 1990, Milwaukee, WI was the first U.S. city to implement a school voucher program. Milwaukee now has 18,550 students utilizing vouchers, which represents 26 percent of that city’s school-age children. The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program now operates in 122 private schools.
A great example of how school vouchers can change individual lives as well as whole communities can be found at Messmer Catholic High School in Milwaukee. No less than 80 percent of Messmer’s students receive vouchers. With a daily attendance rate of 95 percent, and 90 percent of the students going on to a four-year college, this school should be the poster child for the school voucher movement. State law dictates that no more than $6,501 can be spent on Milwaukee students’ school vouchers.
In comparison, it takes Fairfax (VA) County Public Schools more than twice as much money for the same results seen at Messmer. In Fairfax County, 91 percent of public high school graduates continue on to some form of postsecondary education. However, $13,340 will be spent per student during the 2008-09 school year.
Fed up with failing public schools and government gridlock, many in Pittsburgh, PA have been financially supporting the Extra Mile Foundation. The foundation operates solely on private funds and pays for the tuition of low-income black children, to attend parochial schools. The program pays for 1st through 8th grade students and has been very successful. Those who run the foundation boast that in the history of the program, not one child has ever failed the following year (9th grade). Additionally, 96 percent of Extra Mile’s students go on to graduate from high school in four years.
According to the CATO Institute, the average amount spent on a public school student is $8,830. The average private elementary school tuition is less that $3,500, while the average private high school tuition is $6,052. Obviously, the taxpayers would see a much better return on their money if all children were given a private education.
Those who oppose school vouchers, often claim that they do so because funding the program will divert needed funds from public schools. Unfortunately, the federal government has largely listened to that criticism and continues to throw good money after bad!
Far too often, most of our elected representatives on the left, choose to keep supporting public schools as well as the teachers unions who support their campaigns financially.
However, I believe that the hatred of school vouchers goes much deeper than any wish to save the defunct public school system. Despite everything these people espouse, liberal elitists simply cannot stomach the idea of children from the wrong side of the tracks sitting next to their privately educated, precious little geniuses!
There are currently two cultures inside this country. The truly educated and everyone else. You see, when liberals talk about inadequate social programs and the need to embrace our public schools, they talk about these things as they will apply to the rest of us…Never to themselves.
The elitists amongst us are rarely affected by their own policies. Awarding vouchers to poor children, so that they might attend a private school and become equipped with the tools which will allow them to do more than manual labor...Well, that just hits a little too close to home for them. After all…Who dig the ditches if the children of laborers are allowed to cultivate their intellects?
If we are a truly compassionate society, we will make school vouchers available to as many children as possible. As our public schools continue to fail miserably, vouchers present the only viable hope to those children now stuck in grinding poverty.
There is one criticism of school vouchers with which I agree, that is that there are not enough vouchers for every child who deserves a chance at a meaningful education. We should actually be making a move to completely privatize our school system. However, until we are have legislators who are willing to stand up to the teachers’ unions and stand up for our children, we will take the school vouchers. Even though the number of children whose lives are saved by vouchers are relatively small, every child given a good education is one more who will now have an honest chance at the American Dream.
Why should working-class parents continue to support schools that do not serve their children? If liberals really believed their own rhetoric, they would support school vouchers. Doesn't every child deserve a real chance?
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