Vouchers are a terrible idea for our public schools

Susan J. Ward, Las Vegas

Friday, March 4, 2011 | 2:03 a.m.

The Las Vegas Sun’s Tuesday article by Anjeanette Damon, “Governor paves way for Nevada voucher system,” was insightful.

I recognize this effort as the continuation of the nationwide conservative agenda to provide public money to subsidize private schools and line the pockets of private industry. As Ralph Waldo Emerson stated in “Self-Reliance”: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”

The foolish consistency is the nationwide drumbeat of the conservative agenda. I am definitely not against equality in quality education across the economic spectrum, but I see this for what it is. Just look at the effort in Wisconsin to bust collective bargaining and reduce the effectiveness of the public school system.

The governor should be focused on providing affordable education for all students regardless of economic level; this is far more important than allowing privatization of public education.

The effort to provide vouchers results in a movement of public money up the ladder to the more wealthy, in direct contrast to the idea of bringing disparities among economic classes closer together. This has no business being an amendment to the Nevada Constitution, as this ensures the public funding of private enterprise in education.

This is tantamount to class warfare.