Should private or religious school tuition be funded with public funds?

Answer 1

absolutely not!!! If the parents want to send their kids to private school or religious school, that should be their choice with their own money. I don't believe any extra tax money should be given to religious schools when it is needed in the public school system. Parents already have a choice. Put up or shut up for your kid's private education or get involved with the public school your kid goes to. My parents did.

Answer 2

I'd rather not have them giving money then exerting control.

Thus making a private school subject to the low standards of the public school system. Which in turn, dumbs-down our children.

There are private institutions around here that are open to the public because they have "corporate sponsorship." Fantastic learning environs!

BTW, public schools spend more money per student than privately funded schools do, and the end product is less desirable.

Answer 3

No!

If you can afford a private or religious school, go for it. i had 3 kids graduate from a Catholic High School.

The use of private sector funds for those who are mainly well-to do is a crock! Like I am going to pay for some rich persons kid to go to Andover or the Exeter academy.

Those who do get a stipend, will not be able to afford the schools anyway, as most cost as much as college! So, you know who gets the money? The rich! They don't need it!

It is also very exclusionary as they accept only the brightest and DO NOT ACCEPT ANY who fall under special needs!

That is classicism at it's worst!

Answer 4

If by funded you mean as in money being pumped into every private/religious school like it is into the public system. No.

However, if parents want their children to attend a private/religious they should be reimbursed by the government equivalent to what it costs per student in that public school district.

added:

Regarding some of the answers above; public schools are funded by tax dollars. Those dollars come from tax payers. The tax payer should have the ability to apply those tax dollars where and how he sees fit.

There is a problem with that of course and that is 96.7% of taxes are paid by the top 50% of wage earners. That means that those of us above the median income are subsidizing those below the median income. If we pay for our kids to go to private/religious schools we are in effect paying three times:
1) Our tax dollars for our kids,
2) Our tax dollars for someone else’s kids and
3) The cost to privately school our kids.

For all you “fairness” freaks out there does that not seem inherently unfair?

Lucky for you, life is not fair.

Answer 5

If private schools were funded with public funds, then it would make them public schools right?

Answer 6

You mean to relieve overcrowding in public schools, to give people a choice of the school they want their children to go to, etc.? As a temporary fix , yes. But what we really need is serious tax reform which would help people to afford to pay for a private or religious school themselves. Give the option back to the people by leaving them some money in their pockets.

Answer 7

No. We should urge to oppose any effort to approve public funds for private and religious schools through school voucher programs. Government funding for private schools harms our public education system by misappropriating funds desperately need by public schools. The government should not use public funds to subsidize the education of a small minority, while 90% of children attend significantly under-funded public schools.

Answer 8

Nope, I would be more than happy to pay for my own children's education in private school, and not have it handed to me through taxing the people. I will do anything to keep my future kids out of public education and the tax payers should not have to pay for it.

Answer 9

No. People who want to send their children to other then public schools should not have to pay for 2 educationally system though. They should be able to apply there tax donations from public to private schools. After all it is their money.

Answer 10

Answer: YES.

The funding should follow the student -- each student should be allotted by the state funding for education, which would go to whatever educational institution the student actually attends full time. There has to be some accountability, to be checked periodically via standardized tests. Too many students from an institution failing the standardized tests would mean that the institution -- whatever it is -- loses its accreditation and thus loses the ability to receive these per-student funds.