VOUCHERS: Coverage unequal to all needs

I have 24 years of classroom teaching experience primarily in private Christian schools and home schooled my sons for 10 years. My younger son and four grandchildren have attended both traditional and charter public schools.

Not all homeschooled students are given a high-quality education, but many are. Private schools vary in how well they are administered, how qualified their teachers are, and how well resourced they are to meet the needs of all students. Public schools have fabulous administrators and teachers, good ones, and a few who lack the energy, creativity, or drive to do great work for many valid reasons.

Families and students rightfully have choices in Idaho. For most Idaho families, private education or homeschooling are not an option. We, the people of Idaho, have a mandate first set forth in the preamble of the U.S. constitution to promote the general welfare which most certainly includes public education.

By law, public schools have to offer services to meet all students’ needs. They need buildings, maintenance, administration, food services, counseling, and a vast array of expenses that are rarely visible to the public. Private schools do not have the same set of mandates. They can choose what they offer to meet the needs of the families and students they serve. Homeschools have far fewer overhead costs per student than public schools. To have one set amount of funding per student that covers vastly different needs is inequitable. We can and must do better to provide resources for public education that over 90% of the students in Idaho require.

I do not oppose a voucher system. I do oppose one that is, in essence, inequitable.

LEANN WILLIAMS

Rathdrum