Choice issue ignites parental passions

State ESA plan focuses on needs of kids Why I joined the suit to stop Nevada vouchers

While most children are enjoying their summer vacation, Rashan is spending his summer being tutored at home to prepare for a new school year this fall. When my son found out this spring he would not being attending the third grade next year, the tears started to flow.

He struggled at our neighborhood public school for the past two years, yet the teachers and administrators will not admit their system is failing him.

His class sizes have grown larger and larger, and Rashan got lost in the crowd. He needed extra help with his work, but the teachers were not been able to give him proper attention. All they could offer was an excuse and tell me he wouldn’t pay attention, that he was immature and that I should share this with his pediatrician.

The staff even coached me what to tell his pediatrician so the doctor would prescribe him medication. Our physician did not agree that Rashan could not focus or sit still. I know that for a fact because he can do his chores, read and complete his homework when he is at home.

In addition, for a brief period last year, I enrolled Rashan in an online charter school and he excelled. But I had to return to work and could not leave him home alone.

His challenges at school did not just center on academics. My son was bullied and unfairly disciplined. He would come home crying and complaining. In one incident, he said some kids were stomping on his little feet. And he said the teacher would reply that she couldn’t do anything about it.

I make these points to shed a light on how our schools are growing worse, yet parents are held hostage in a school system that is dysfunctional and doesn’t serve the needs of their children. But there is another opportunity that Rashan and others deserve.

The Nevada Legislature has adopted a groundbreaking school choice program that features Education Savings Accounts — or ESAs — and would be a blessing to so many parents, especially those who are poor and low income.

Under an ESA, the state deposits a sum of money in an account for the education expenses of a child.

By law, the ESAs for special-needs and low-income children are set for $5,700 annually. For middle- and upper-income students, the ESAs are set at $5,100 annually.

For working parents like me, there is great hope that this program could help pay for most of the tuition at a private school or for Rashan’s other educational needs.

Parents can use the money on tutoring, online education, special-needs therapy, fees for SAT or ACT tests, books or private school tuition.

But there are now lawsuits pending, attacking a program that offers so many parents hope. When I found out that groups were trying to stop state funding of the ESAs, I couldn’t understand why they would want to imprison these children in a system they know is dysfunctional and harms many children.

On July 29, the Nevada Supreme Court will hear arguments to decide whether to lift an injunction so the state can start issuing ESAs. For parents like me, the ability to access ESA money so we can exercise another choice can’t happen soon enough.

As the summer moves on, my son becomes discouraged. But all I can do is assure him that he is very smart and a good boy. I am worried that the more obstacles he encounters in his education, the more he will be turned off to learning. I wish those trying to stop the ESA could see the harm they are doing to these kids. These lawsuits are blocking children from something we should consider so basic, especially on this holiday: freedom.

These children are real, their lives matter and their futures matter. Let parents have the right to choose how to spend the education funds allotted for their children. If a local school can’t do the job, then every parent has a right to save her child.

My three children attend Las Vegas public magnet and charter schools. Like most public-school families, we have had many good times and some not-so-good times.

But we have had great relationships with classroom teachers, school administrators and other school staff. My children have learned to read, to solve math problems, to be curious about science, history, art and music. They’ve made many friends and so have I.

I’ve also seen the other side of the coin. That’s inevitable given that Nevada is ranked last among the 50 states when it comes to public education. Our schools are under-funded, under-resourced and underappreciated. For example, my oldest son told me he’s been assigned to classrooms in which there are not enough desks for every child.

As a parent of a specialneeds child, I’ve talked with other parents and we all agree that the school district is in the unenviable position of trying to do more with less: trying to provide federally mandated, appropriate services to our children but often lacking the resources to do so.

Even with all that, I don’t want to leave the public schools. I was raised in the public schools here, and I want to help fix them. I know many parents feel as if our local schools are failing us, but we can’t just throw up our hands and give up.

The situation isn’t hopeless — we have educators and parents who are invested and who want to help our children succeed. That’s why I joined other parents in a lawsuit to stop the implementation of our state’s voucher program. I don’t want taxpayer money to leave the public schools and instead be spent on private education through so-called Education Savings Accounts.

Our schools can’t afford to lose the millions of dollars they desperately need to educate the 460,000 students in public schools. If anything, our schools need more money to provide the programs and services our English-language learners, special-education students and youngsters facing challenges — in fact all of our students — need to succeed academically.

And that’s not all. Our state constitution clearly says that the funds our legislators earmark for public education must be spent in our public schools. In addition to being wrong for our children and wrong for our schools, the ESA voucher program is unconstitutional.

A lower court judge ruled in our favor and stopped implementation of the voucher program. Now, on July 29, the Nevada Supreme Court will hear why that judge’s decision was right.

I know and value the role public education plays in Nevada and in every state. The public schools prepare our children, regardless of their backgrounds, to become productive citizens making positive contributions and wise decisions that benefit all of us. Weakening our schools will weaken our society. That’s why I joined the suit.