School vouchers - bad idea?

[eynon81]

[The Dude]

[Winchester]

[John Galt]

[Saz]

I don't see the need for vouchers if we do more tracking and keep the dumbs and uninterested separated from the bright and motivated.

[fstarcstar]

[Professor]

[Professor]

[Professor]

OK, here's what I don't get. And, part of this is the way that typical voucher systems are created. Here's what I'd like to see as a voucher system.

For a public school, there are 2 types of costs. Fixed costs, which must be paid and remain constant if 1 kid attends or 100 (though, they would move marginally, but let's ignore that noise for a second). Then, you have the variable costs that are attributable to each kid. For instance, you gotta have a cafeteria if you have 1 kid or 100. So, the cost for the cafeteria, library, admin building, etc. are all fixed. But, if you don't have enough students, you can get rid of a teacher, some books, some desks, and even a classroom. Those are variable.

Determine the fixed costs for a public school system, and that amount is automatically paid by the state. Done. It's off the table.

Then, you figure in the variable costs. Theoretically, if 1 child leaves, that will be 1 less desk, 8 fewer books, 1/30 less teacher (class of 30 kids), etc. Add up all those costs, and there's your "voucher" amount. If a parent pulls their kid from school, then the school only loses the money that it would have gotten to teach that one kid. But, since the kid isn't there, the school shouldn't really lose any money.

Then, they take that voucher money to a private school. It'll come close to paying the variable costs at that school, but not the fixed. So, the parent will have to pony up more money for tuition. But, not as much as they do now.

How is that unfair to anyone?

[Philly]