Written by /u/cochon101 and co-sponsored by /u/blackiddx and /u/nonprehension
The purposes of my revisions are the following:
1) Separate home schooling from organized private schooling. Home schooling requirements should be addressed in a separate bill and should not have the same requirements of organized private schooling. I’m willing to allow home schooling more flexibility in what they teach.
2) Separate secular private schooling from religious private schooling. I believe this is consistent with the spirit of the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution though I understand that there is disagreement over this. However I would insist on having the same curriculum and student eligibility requirements as other organizations which could potentially violate the principles of religious faith (see points below). Thus I think the only safe way to address this issue is to not permit any entanglement between public funds and religious organizations. This protects the secular mission of government and the private beliefs of religious people and organizations.
3) Establish strict anti-discrimination protection for schools that receive public money. All students have an equal right to education and to enable schools to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, etc would make a mockery of the first stated goal of this bill as spelled out in the preamble.
4) Require curriculums to be vetted by the State and State standardized testing to be applied uniformly. I actually oppose over-testing in our current public school system but that is a different issue. If we’re going to have standardized tests they must be applied equally.
5) Provide enforcement powers to strip schools of funding if they are found to violate the requirements.
6) Change the value of vouchers to reflect the average amount of tax dollars paid by households rather than the average amount spent per student. I’m receptive to the argument supporters of vouchers make that they should have some right to the taxes currently going to public schools, but that is not the same thing as having a right to others’ taxes going to public schools. After all, all members of a community pay taxes to fund public schools even if they don’t have children of school age.
Alterations in italics
The Western State School Voucher Act of 2016
Preamble
Whereas state regulations on public education limits the educational opportunities afforded to students enrolled.
Whereas parents in the Western State do not have the freedom to choose the educational institutions funded with the educational budget funded by their tax dollars.
Section I: Short Title
A) This bill shall be referred to as “The School Voucher Act”
Section II: Definitions
A) “Parochial school” shall refer to any non-profit private educational institution operated by a religious organization of any rite or creed
B) “Independent school” shall refer to any non-profit private educational institution operated by a board of administrators
C) “Proprietary school” shall refer to any for-profit private educational institution operated by private owners
D) “Home school” shall refer to a parent or legal guardian instructing a child within their residence.
E) “Accredited school” shall refer to any educational institution that meets the requirements specified by this bill
F) “Harmful ideology” shall refer to any ideology or speech provided to students that is determined to promote violence, social misconduct, or harassment
G) “Core subjects” shall refer to English Reading, English Writing, Mathematics, Sciences, History, as well as Foreign Language and Computer Science in secondary school
F) “DoE” shall refer to the Western State Department of Education.
Section III: Choice of Education
A) Parents may choose to enroll their child in any accredited school in Western State as an alternative to publicly operated school
B) Parents may homeschool their children as an accredited home school educator
Section IV: Accreditation
A) The valid types of educational entities eligible for accreditation shall be limited to parochial schools, independent schools and proprietary schools. Parochial schools and Home schools are not eligible for accreditation under this bill.
B) Accreditation Requirements
B)(I) Must be staffed by accredited staff for core subjects only. All subjects taught outside of core subjects may be staffed at the accredited schools discretion.
B)(II) The accredited school must be proven to have a curriculum free of any harmful ideology.
B)(III) The accredited school must complete at least the same amount number of in-class education hours per school year as standard public schools in the school district the accredited school is located in. This may be accomplished through whatever schedule the administrators see fit.
B)(IV) The accredited school shall be subject to all federal, state, and local anti-discrimination laws in order to ensure all students, particularly those of protected classes, have equal access to education. Violations of these laws, in addition to any charges required by federal, state, or local law, shall result in a school losing its accreditation for a period not shorter than 2 years.
B)(V) For the first year of accreditation, the curriculum for core subjects shall be submitted to the DoE at least 180 days prior to the first day of class. For subsequent years, changes to a previously approved curriculum must be submitted at least 60 days prior to first day of class. The DoE shall amend the curriculum as necessary to comply with state education requirements. Schools which are found to violate the approved curriculum and not take corrective action within 14 days shall be subject to a loss of accreditation for at least 1 semester but not more than 2 years.
B)(VI) Students in accredited schools shall be required to take the same state standardized tests as public school. The anonymized testing results per grade year shall be made easily available from the DoE and the accredited school on their respective websites and in print.
C) Accredited Staff
C)(I) Educators eligible for accreditation must comply with all standards and educational prerequisites required for educators in Western State public schools
C)(II) Educators will register with the Western State Department of Education DoE to designate themselves as Accredited Staff
D) Accredited Home School Educator
D)(I) Parents or guardians who wish to homeschool their children must register with the Western State Department of Education to become an Accredited Home School Educator
D)(II) Through a verbal interview applicants will be tested for proficiency in core subjects once yearly
Section V: Funding
A) Vouchers equal to the amount of money spent on a student in the public school system will be available for parents wishing to enroll their children in accredited schools to help pay for their instruction.
B) Dollars spent per student shall be calculated by dividing total education budget by number of enrolled students in a school year. The amount of money in a voucher shall be the sum of state and local taxes which fund public schooling in the district of the school paid by the average household in the previous calendar year. The state and local governments shall each fund their respective portion of the tax burden for each voucher.
C) The DoE shall consult with the relevant state and local taxing agencies and publish the value of a voucher no later than July 1 for the upcoming school year. The funds for each voucher shall be distributed to the accredited school no later than 14 days prior to the first day of school of the school year.
Section VI: Oversight
A) A subdivision of the Western State Department of Education DoE shall be created to oversee the voucher program
B) The Voucher Subdivision will be responsible for accreditation of schools, staff, and homeschool educators, and staff as well as distributing voucher payments to accredited schools
Section VII: Implementation
A) This bill will be enacted immediately after signing into law
B) Vouchers will begin being distributed for the 2016-2017 school year.