Mayor Berry For School Choice? You Bet!

May 17, 2008 | Filed Under Democrats/Leftists, Education, Israel Teitelbaum, News, Publius Contributor, Society/Culture |

-By Israel Teitelbaum

Former Mayor of Washington, DC and current Councilman Marion Barry’s article in favor of school choice represents an enormous opportunity to bring this issue into the national election debate (see article below). Although it has been over 50 years since the late, great Milton Friedman first proposed school choice, his proposal has never been debated in the public arena. All school choice programs in effect and considered over the past half century were referred to by Friedman as “charity vouchers,” as opposed to “educational vouchers.” While they are a step in the right direction and help some of the poor, they do not create true school choice and competition, which brings to bear the power of free enterprise to undo the stagnation resulting from a monopoly.

The Civil Rights Act for Equal Educational Opportunity, would fulfill what the Civil Rights Act of 1964 tragically omitted - equitable educational opportunity for every child. This is based on Friedman’s teachings, including his 1955 article The Role of Government in Education, his 1962 book Capitalism and Freedom, his 1980 book Free to Choose and his 2005 article School Vouchers Turn 50, But the Fight Is Just Beginning (attached). This legislation would require the states to provide equitable educational funding for children in both public and non-public schools, while respecting the liberty of schools in hiring and provision of services.

This legislation is now being championed by New Jersey candidate for U.S. Senate Dick Zimmer and candidates for U.S. Congress Dale Glading (NJ-1), Martin Marks (NJ-7) and Roland Straten (NJ-8). It has the support of countless voters and a long list of prestigious organizations, including Americans for Tax Reform, Washington DC; Family Research Council, Washington, DC; Alliance for Worker Freedom, Washington, DC; Center for Equal Opportunity, Falls Church, VA; Torah Communications, Brooklyn, NY; National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education, Brooklyn, NY; N’shei Chabad Newsletter, Brooklyn NY; CatholicVote.org, Washington, DC; Catholic Voices, Cedar Grove NJ; New Jersey Family Policy Council, Trenton, NJ; Sephardic Voters League, Brooklyn, NY; SchoolChoiceVoter.org., Westfield, NJ.

More information will follow on the candidates committed to school choice. Anything you can do to help elect them to Congress will of course bring us closer to universal school choice.

Please call Marion Barry (202-724-8045) to commend him on his courageous article and urge him to consider supporting the Civil Rights Act for Equal Educational Opportunity, which would provide improved educational opportunities for every child in America. His email address is: mbarry@dccouncil.us

Those who fear school choice will force tax increases may be shocked to learn that many private and religious schools would gladly provide a sound education for half of what public schools are now spending. This federal legislation does not in any way dictate to the states how to manage education. If a state chooses to defund education entirely it would have no bearing on this legislation. The object of the Act is to complete what the Civil Rights Act of 1964 omitted. Just as the federal government does not tell the states how to regulate restaurants, sports stadiums and public transportation, yet requires equitable opportunity and non discriminatory treatment, so too here. It would still be up to each state to design their own system of funding education, provided all school children are granted equitable treatment, including those attending non-public schools. States would be free to design systems that have varying impact on property and other taxes.

Obviously, as overburdened taxpayers, we do not want to see increases in taxes of any kind, nor need there be. There is surely enough funding of education already budgeted to serve the needs of all school children, without the need to raise taxes.”The truth is that, between 1960 and 2000, after-inflation education spending more than tripled. Harvard’s Caroline Hoxby has found that real, inflation-adjusted spending grew from $5,900 per pupil in 1982 to more than $9,200 in 2,000.” (See following link). http://goliath.ecnext.com/

There are only about 11 percent of children now attending non-public schools, while there is surely far more than 11 percent waste and inefficiency in the current system that has been run without competition for generations.

Please keep us informed of any progress you make on this issue, for by working together we can accomplish far more that individually.

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Israel Teitelbaum is currently creating a new school choice organization to help further the efforts to improve our public schools. His blog will soon be up and running at SchoolChoiceVoter.org. Mr. Teitelbaum can be reached at israel@schoolchoicenj.org.

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