Budget Crunch Can Lead To School Choice Decisions

There is not much of a pent-up demand for school choice from parents, not yet anyway.

And the philosophical incongruity between a democratic state’s insistence on an educated citizenry and its practice of at the same time providing that education doesn’t bother many.  Might seem like state indoctrination, but distaste for that is not there, yet. 

No, it’s neither demand nor philosophy that’s informing top-level discussions about education choice.  It’s the utilitarian argument, cost-savings, that’s coming to the fore.

Take the most radical retreat yet — from compulsory state provision to simple funding the consumer with oversight — Nevada.

The universal Nevada Education Savings Account plan is slated for a full start in 2016. The registrations for the program are already in full gear.

What was the trajectory?

See Wall Street Journal — Nevada Places a Bet on School Choice — http://www.wsj.com/articles/nevada-places-a-bet-on-school-choice-1434319588

The budget crunch was huge in Nevada.  Immigration was putting a squeeze on the enormous need for portables, trailers and modular construction for new school spaces. Lurking in the background was the example of the already successful education funding structure called Education Savings Accounts — operating in Arizona, Florida, Tennessee and Mississippi. 

The beauty of the Nevada plan is that it invites innovation.  The unbundling of services is a breakthrough — parents can shop for tutors and services from the community.  Roll-over of funds unused can be applied to subsequent years or even college.  Etc. 

Budget crunches serve as a wake-up call, don’t they?  BC’s per pupil allotment is $7,390 (with partial funding of independent schools) while Ontario’s is $12,299 (no public funding of independents).

Smart Spending Called For — EDUCATION & HEALTH

Here is the latest information on Education Savings Accounts as they apply in the US.  — ESAs: The Next Generation of School Choice, Oct 2015
http://static.excelined.org/wp-content/uploads/ESAs-the-NextGen-of-School-Choice-FINAL.pdf  30 pg

“Vouchers and tax-credit scholarships are like the rotary phone: great at making phone calls, but that is all they can do. ESAs are like smartphones: they can make phone calls, but you can use them to do your banking, shopping, search for businesses, and much more.

ESAs “The key here is customization. Parents are no longer relegated to School A or School B. A child can attend a private school and receive speech therapy, or learn math and science online, English and history at home, be tutored twice a week, and deposit remaining funds into a college savings account. Through an ESA, education is no longer “use it or lose it.” Parents decide where the best values are; they have the ability to direct their child’s funds in the most efficient way.” (P17)

HEALTH — With changing demographics the two big pulls on public funds are still education and health. But, the growing proportion of seniors and concomitant demands on services are overtaking the funding demands for education of the young.  This US report demonstrates in another way why education spending has to be more efficient and accountable — http://excelined.org/FacetheStrain/  2pg brief, 100 pg Report

“Turn and Face the Strain: Age Demographic Change and the Near Future of American Education outlines a fierce battle looming between the needs of public health care and education. A crisis is fast approaching that makes comprehensive improvement of America’s public schools more important than ever.”

The same realities are evident in Canada.  We must have more public conversations about effectiveness and efficiency in our public services.