Your Voucher Post for the Day

Imagine my joy when I saw the banner headline in today's paper: Choice school rules tighten.

Then imagine my disappointment when I learned that the Assembly merely codified the temporary rules that were put in place last year to allow DPI to shut down voucher schools that are physically unsafe or financially mismangaed. There is still nothing about being able to address schools that fail academically.

I've been mulling some options about that. Here's my proposal: I will contribute the maximum to the re-election fund of any legislator who introduces legislation to do two things. One, require that within two years all schools accepting voucher students must be accredited by an independent agency. (Many choice schools--mostly the parochial ones--already meet this requirement.) Two, all new schools applying to the program must have been in operation for at least one full academic year before accepting voucher students (and tax money), and must achieve accreditation within two years of becoming part of the program.

So there's nothing there about mandating tests, telling schools what they can and cannot teach, and so forth. Just two simple, commonsense provisions. And I know everyone in the legislature reads my blog, so, how about it, folks?