Different Types of Schools School Funding

Public Schools  Established by states (10 th Amendment)  Paid for by tax dollars  Usually run by local board of elected officials  Open to all students who live in the district  Subject to all federal anti-discrimination laws  IDEA  Title IX

Private Schools  Privately owned and operated  Religious (parochial) schools  Montessori Schools  Independent Foundations  Schools for profit  Paid for by donations/tuition  Can select which students attend  Do not have to adhere to federal anti-discrimination regulations

Magnet Schools  Public Schools  Focus on particular area of study to attract students  Many were originally created for the purpose of voluntary desegregation  May have competitive entrance process

Charter Schools  Publicly funded; operated independently  Operates under a charter, or contract, with the state  Subject to all federal anti-discrimination regulations  Open to all students who seek enrollment  Free of charge  Have more freedom than public schools in curriculum  Still accountable for results– charter is renewed periodically  Created by educators who envision a school committed to a particular purpose and philosophy  Currently allowed in 40 states and D.C.

Homeschooling  Choosing to educate students at home rather than in a public or private school  Parents select the curriculum  May be done with internet, correspondence, or independent instruction  No state funding is given to parents choosing to homeschool their children  Parents do not need to be certified teachers  Idaho does not check on academic progress

Other  Dual enrollment: students take some courses with the public school but is otherwise homeschooled  Dual Credit: students in high school enroll in a class which operates in conjunction with a college class. Students receive college credit for lower fees  Virtual Schools: for profit schools which offer on-line classes

School Funding  In Idaho, school funding has lost $200 million in the past two years, with additional cuts slated for 2012  In 2005, the Idaho Supreme Court found that school funding was insufficient and unconstitutional  Vouchers: certificate by which parents are given the ability to pay for the education of their children at a school of their choice, either public or private

Legalities  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled vouchers constitutional in 2002  Currently only five states– Maine, Ohio (Cleveland only) Vermont, Utah and Wisconsin (Milwaukee only) and the District of Columbia have voucher programs  Florida had one until state supreme court threw it out in 2006

Arguments for Vouchers  Rich parents have a choice of schools for their kids; poor parents should have the same choice.  Competition between schools is increased, leading to greater efficiency and results in all schools.  Private schools have a better history of getting results than public schools.  Those parents who send their kids to private schools still have to pay taxes for public schools as well.  Providing private school access to everyone will increase diversity.  The parent makes the choice between religious or non- religious schooling; thus the government isn’t imposing religion.

Arguments against vouchers  Since most of the schools in the program are religious, government funding violates the 1 st Amendment separation of church and state.  Vouchers take funds away from already underfunded public schools.  Private schools aren’t accountable to any oversight organization; they do not have to follow State or Federal regulations for accountability and testing.  Public schools must accept everyone regardless of disabilities, test scores, religion, or other characteristics; private schools can show favoritism or discrimination in selecting students.

Tuition Tax Credits  Essentially the same thing as vouchers, only with a set amount of tax deduction given for tuition paid to private schools.  Currently available in Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.