In a new report entitled “Myths About School Choice,” KASB shows that proposed Education Savings Accounts would put in place numerous hurdles to student success.
ESA plans, sometimes called school choice, have been proposed in the Legislature for several years, and proponents say they will try again to pass such a measure when the 2023 legislative session starts in January.
“Myths About School Choice” shows ESA plans fall far short of covering the cost of private high school tuition. Even if families could come up with enough money, the report also shows that students could be denied admittance to private schools for numerous reasons. In addition, the report busts the myth about student achievement in private schools by showing that public school students performed better in some instances than their private school counterparts.
Under previous ESA bills, students from low-income families or those who are considered at-risk would qualify to receive BASE per-pupil aid, which could be used for private school tuition.
But BASE aid, which is at $4,864, would fall far short of the average cost of tuition at an accredited private high school in Kansas, which is about $9,111 per year, the report said.
In addition, some “at-risk” students could be denied admission to private high schools that require minimum academic standards for admission and continued enrollment. In other words, private schools that are unable or unwilling to help certain students succeed would be barred from attending those schools, becoming instead the responsibility of the public school.
Supporters of ESAs say private schools have better student outcomes, but that is not always the case. The data show that public high school students performed better than accredited private school students in four of 10 Kansas cities based on the percentage of free and reduced lunch students who scored in the top levels of the state assessments.
KASB opposes school choice plans because such a system would divert public funding to private schools which are not required to serve all students, including those who are disadvantaged, disabled, or have the greatest needs. Such a two-tiered system, KASB believes, would not be in the best education interests of the state because private schools, financed with public tax dollars, would be able to pick which students they wanted to serve.
The full report can be found here. For further information contact KASB Associate Executive Director of Advocacy Leah Fliter at 785-273-3600.
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