Free market shouldn’t decide education

This week a letter-writer made a passionate plea for using free-market capitalism to solve school educational issues (“Competition will help education in Florida,” Feb. 23). This approach was most famously offered up by the late economist Milton Friedman.

The so-called capitalist approach to public schools has not been employed because public schools are an arm of government. Our leadership in Florida is trying to change that through universal vouchers. The problem: Our governor and Legislature are creating two separate and unequal education systems. Public schools are highly regulated for finances and educational opportunities. Teachers must turn in classroom plans regularly, are subjected to regulation and public oversight, and what they teach is restricted by state laws and regulations. Schools are funded transparently through property taxes. On the other hand, private schools and voucher schools have very limited financial oversight, are not highly regulated by the state, and do not report to the local school boards. Voucher schools can be started by anyone and receive funds based on enrollment; they do not have to hire licensed teachers or experienced administrators. Students are not required to take standardized tests.

Unequal, dual school systems will be wrong for everyone. If the state wants to expand to universal vouchers, then the requirements between public schools and private schools/voucher schools should also be the same, including the hiring of experienced administrators and licensed teachers, maintaining financial oversight, offering the same student courses and standardized tests, and prohibiting open discrimination.

Stuart Peisner Longwood