1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

"Oppose School Voucher Proposal, Prioritize Public Education Reform" The recent revelation of a desire to discard the current public education system in favor of school vouchers raises serious concerns. We have data on the failure of this approach in states like Arizona that have tried and failed. We know what the outcome is and it’s blatantly clear this is simply a shift of public school funding to the pockets of private school owners, who will now just continue to raise tuition due to increased demand. They are also not held to the same standards. Instead of focusing on a voucher system, it would be more beneficial to invest in comprehensive reforms to improve the quality of public education. Instead of solving the problem this grift will only make it worse. I have a 1.5 year old and the current cost of daycare plus the future costs of private schools are already astronomical. The failure to invest in public schools in Tennessee is a feature not a bug. Whether it’s restricting abortion in Tennessee, arming teachers, or gutting public schools, this state continues to make young families like us question why we’re here in the first place. The leaders continue to make people’s lives harder in pursuit of profit. This is a request is to halt the voucher proposal and redirect efforts towards enhancing the existing public education system. This approach would ensure a more inclusive and equitable education for all students.