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[W:#2026]School's out forever: Arizona moves "to kill public education" with new universal voucher law

[snip]
Last Friday, while the country reeled from the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, Arizona made history of a different sort. Legislators in the Grand Canyon State passed a universal school voucher bill that, once signed by Gov. Doug Ducey, will become the most wide-reaching school privatization plan in the country.

In his January State of the State address, Ducey called on Arizona lawmakers to send him bills that would "expand school choice any way we can," and the Republican-dominated legislature obliged, delivering last Friday's bill, which will open a preexisting program for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) up to the entire state. In practice, the law will now give parents who opt out of public schools a debit card for roughly $7,000 per child that can be used to pay for private school tuition, but also for much more: for religious schools, homeschool expenses, tutoring, online classes, education supplies and fees associated with "microschools"

"Every red state in the country should follow [Ducey's] lead," since the law "gives every family a right to exit any public school that fails to educate their children or reflect their values."

From Rhode Island, anti-CRT activist Nicole Solas, a fellow with the right-wing Independent Women's Forum, tweeted, "You know what happens when you abuse people? People leave you. Bye, public school."

"The Republican universal voucher system is designed to kill public education," tweeted former Arizona House Rep. Diego Rodriguez. "OUR nation's greatness is built on free Public schools. The GOP goal is to recreate segregation, expand the opportunity gap, and destroy the foundation of our democracy."

"I think it's a very serious mistake and the result will be that, within a decade, Arizona will have a very, very poorly educated adult population," added Carol Corbett Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education. "Maybe that's the game."

"One of the things people never fully comprehend is how far privatization advocates want to take things," he said. "They want to get rid of all public funding for education. Eventually vouchers will die off too." What will remain, he argues, will be a self-funded primary education system, funded by a lending market much as colleges are. Or as Lewis says, a "system of haves and have-nots."

[snip]

At this point, every post I put in the breaking news section feels like I'm documenting the rise of Christian Nationalism. It seems like every day...a little piece of our society is stripped away. A little closer to their vision of theocratic fascism. On it's own...this is not a huge deal. But take in the context of current events this is just one more chip away.
God bless Arizona. What is wrong with school choice?
 
Types like her are not the mainstream of GOP thinking. That's the extreme right. The whole of the Republican party is not calling for "Christian Nationalism".
The extremists dominate the party. Moderates have been cowed for fear of upsetting the Trumpist base.

Liz Cheney, for all her wrongheaded policy positions, is one of a handful with the stones to stand up and challenge extremists in her party. The rest are true believers or flaccid opportunists like Cruz.
 
Now you’re saying “christian nationalism”.

Most western countries were explicitly Christian. Before modern leftists came up with the term “Europe” what is now Europe was called Christendom
Don't confuse the left with facts. It' hurts their feelings.
 
I was homeschooled. I don't care if people are homeschooled. But it is very clear this is a concerted effort to defund public schools, and THAT I am strongly against.

The Christian Nationalists are NOT opposed to a one size fits all education. They only dislike the fact that the education isn't a theocratic curriculum.
School choice is the best thing for k-12 education. In the long run it is even a good thing for public schools. It's about time that public schools have to compete for students.
 
Democrats have ruined public education and then get mad when people look for better solutions. LPATs (Liberal Progressive Authoritarian Terrorists) can stick with their public school educations and CRT programs, but I would never, ever send my child to a public school and would look for elite private schools where they might actually learn something uselful rather than hatred for white people. And don't call me a racist because almost every democrat politician sends their children to those same private elite schools.
 
The extremists dominate the party. Moderates have been cowed for fear of upsetting the Trumpist base.

Liz Cheney, for all her wrongheaded policy positions, is one of a handful with the stones to stand up and challenge extremists in her party. The rest are true believers or flaccid opportunists like Cruz.
Liz needs to join the democrat party. She didn't support the party and gladly accepted the Pelosi appointment so she could hate on Trump. Republican voters didn't support the investigation, the hearing, the way Pelosi made the appointments, and not Cheney's joining the enemy.
 
We've never been a less Christian society than we are today. Giving parents the choice of where to send their kids to school is not fascism, not even a little. What's closer to fascism is trying to force a state-run public education on all children that feeds them a very specific message of indoctrination.

Public Education is just like other public social-institutions, such as Welfare, Food Stamps, Social Security, Educational Grants, Etc., in that no one is required to use them. They are free choice.
 
1] Will the private schools be teaching or promoting 'religion' with our tax dollars?
Why should that matter as long as they are accredited and teach all the basics the students need to graduate.
2] Will the private schools be forced to accept all comers, as public education does?
No, and they shouldn't.
 
Well, this would be a bloody stupid decision.
It seems like the court is on a roll for stupid decisions though so I await the next stupid decision with trepidation.
 
Now you’re saying “christian nationalism”.

Most western countries were explicitly Christian. Before modern leftists came up with the term “Europe” what is now Europe was called Christendom
American Christian Nationalists are fascists. Most modern nation states that explicitly enforce a religion are fascist or fascist leaning. Russia and the UAE being prime examples.
 
Liz needs to join the democrat party. She didn't support the party and gladly accepted the Pelosi appointment so she could hate on Trump. Republican voters didn't support the investigation, the hearing, the way Pelosi made the appointments, and not Cheney's joining the enemy.
Extremist thinking.
 
School choice is the best thing for k-12 education. In the long run it is even a good thing for public schools. It's about time that public schools have to compete for students.
That would work if the same party wasn't also hellbent on cutting funding for public schools.
 

In this speech MTG calls everyone who opposes Christian Nationalism a domestic terrorist.
Imagine the reaction if all these recent moves (Roe, the proposal that states track the movement of women across borders, undercutting public schools in favor of religious ones) had been funded and promoted by Muslims.
 
This is fantastic. Whatever kills the progressive infrastructure fastest is best for America. Until every last woke leftist institution is destroyed, we cannot stop.

That would work if the same party wasn't also hellbent on cutting funding for public schools.

Meet the intolerant right. Cry more.
 
The only thing that's funny here is that public schools get out-performed by every single option out there.

That depends upon the school district. My district happens to have very high academics, often equaling or exceeding the local Private Schools, and in sports & extra-curriculars it is far superior.

You need to remember the private school numbers are skewed due to their being selective institutions; the public schools have to take everyone - even the lowest achievers, slackers, and trouble-makers, to say nothing of those socially estranged or culturally naive through no fault of their own.

If & when voucher programs force private institutions to take all comers, you'll see the private school numbers take a dive.
 
Public Education is just like other public social-institutions, such as Welfare, Food Stamps, Social Security, Educational Grants, Etc., in that no one is required to use them. They are free choice.
But, like other public social-institutions, you are required to pay for them. If given the chance, I'd gladly opt out of social security and invest that money somewhere with higher returns.

Sounds like that's what parents hope to accomplish here - take the money that would have been used on the government program and put it elsewhere, hoping for a better return on investment.
 
I was homeschooled. I don't care if people are homeschooled. But it is very clear this is a concerted effort to defund public schools, and THAT I am strongly against.

The Christian Nationalists are NOT opposed to a one size fits all education. They only dislike the fact that the education isn't a theocratic curriculum.

Wow, Nomad4Ever, I'm impressed. Can I assume you followed up with traditional higher education? Because by your posts you seem to have acquired a pretty decent body of knowledge, at least in the subjects you choose to participate in here.

I only ask this, because I'm generally against home-schooling - as I can't see any two parents having the full pallet of skills, expertise, and knowledge, that the best traditional educators have in their specific subjects, particularly at the H.S./Prep levels.
 
You are advocating for religious grooming because everyday people dont want to be indoctrinated by your religion.

How embarrassing is that?

😄
I didn't advocate for anything beyond parental school choice. However, you're definitely on the side of groomers, we've seen many examples of that with the public schools.
 
Except, parents already have that choice. My kids all got Catholic educations. No one stopped us from making that choice.
OK...did you also pay for the public school on top of that?
 
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