LOCAL BOARD SHOULD ADDRESS SCHOOL-VOUCHER PLAN

This open letter was sent to members of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education:

The possibility exists that a statewide voucher program will be implemented in the near future. Before our legislators are asked to vote on such a measure, it is only prudent to see what real effects such a program would have on private and public education. Not only should inner-city school systems be tested, but also rural successful districts should be taken into consideration when designing a comprehensive program. Regardless of your personal position on school choice, you would have to agree that a data-gathering, limited trial would shed more light on the subject than all the conjecture that surrounds this topic.

Cape Girardeau County is ideal for such a demonstration project. Our public schools are above-average. We have a number of private schools to choose from, and the tuition costs are low. We have a good mix of students. We have many successes and problems to address. That is why Cape Girardeau was selected to participate in a limited three-year trial program.

House Bill 1037 is due to be heard in committee soon. It would be helpful if the board would address the merits of the bill before it is heard. The taxpayers of this district would learn a lot more about how schools are financed if you were to explain the impact this legislation would have on them. Give the time constraints, I feel I must explore the merits with you now.

Participation would limited to 4 percent of the district's 4,394 students per year. To be eligible, these 175 students would have to be entering kindergarten or ninth grades. This would prevent wide fluctuations in projections for both public and private schools. Only households earning 175 percent of the national poverty level who live within the district boundaries would qualify for the tuition assistance. This would provide options to those who otherwise have none.

Only schools that are accredited could receive students under this act. A participating school would not be permitted to discriminate on the basis of race, color or national origin. Participation by the private school would be voluntary. This would prevent tax dollars from being misspent and would allow private schools flexibility. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education would evaluate the benefits annually, based on standardized test scores, attendance rates and parental interviews. This would help determine the future of the program.

All money appropriated for this research would come from general revenue. No funds from the public school fund would be used. This protects the funding of public schools outside the participating districts. The money lost by a participating district due to decreased enrollment would be granted back to the district for use on at-risk students and to combat school violence. This would protect the district from serious revenue loss. No local property tax money would be used, and the district would see no reduction in Proposition C money, nor would their be a reduction in the textbook fund regardless of the number of participants. Spending per pupil in Cape Girardeau is $3,728.60 if you exclude transportation. Private elementary schools' spending ranges from $1,300 to #1,800. The district does stand to lose some transportation funds if enrollment drops. Missouri currently funds less than half of the $1,092 spent per student.

This bill does not guarantee federal funding, nor does it provide capital-improvement funds for private schools to handle all students. It does not mandate private schools to make those improvements nor to accept students for which they have no facilities. Because this bill provides the granting of money back to the trial districts and the money comes from general revenue, this will would cost state taxpayers. What the Legislature must decide is whether it is money well spent. The knowledge gained might well prevent the future passage of a one-size-fits-all debacle or lead to significant progress toward a more efficient, higher-quality educational system.

For the local taxpayer, we would see a benefit by participating in this demonstration project. Total education dollars spent in the district would increase, if you include private education. This district would learn what parents want from their schools based on the choices they make. Discussion of the way school are financed and the effect on different funds by enrollment would give the public a better understanding of changes that may need to be supported. Public schools can explain in real dollars the effects of federal and state mandates.

As school board members, you have the duty and responsibility to inform the public of matters pertaining to education. As citizens, you can inform legislators whether or not this bill is good for education and why. Hearings have been delayed until after this spring legislative break.

Ken Schaefer is a Cape Girardeau resident.