Republican Legislators have put forth H.R.610, an act to change a lot about thw way public schools operate.  Most damaging is the move to “voucher” schools.

This is a national hobbyhorse of the Republicans for over 30 years. This is their wet dream. There is nothing unique about this. It has been going on for 26 years in Milwaukee

The reprehensible aspect of it, besides the fact that every aspect of it is reprehensible, is that it plays divide and conquer politics, uniting three very strange bedfellows:

1. Poor: In appealing to the mantra of “school choice,” the group that pushes this is seeking inner-city African-American and other impoverished support. Families ill served by under-funded central city schools rightfully want to save their children. Ironically, the very poverty, and underfunded schools they wish to escape have been caused by previous Republican policy leading to segregation, redlining, and general economic disasters.

I believe this is the true, ghoulish meaning of the Republican term “boot strap.” Use your previous successes to leverage future goals.

2. Rich, white religious people wishing to send their children to parochial schools. They argue that public schools amount to double taxation. Wisconsin has allowed vouchers to be used in religious schools for 26 years. Ostensibly, there is no way that the funding is being applied to religious teaching . 🙄🙄.

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/11/us/wisconsin-court-upholds-vouchers-in-church-schools.html.

Sadly, this article shows that the slide toward theocracy has been upheld by courts in WI.

3. Republicans (aka “privateers”). The move to vouchers or for profit charter schools is explicitly a move toward privatization, allowing cronies to suck at the public teat and not deliver services. Vouchers and choice schools have never been held to the same standards of accountability the public schools are.  As funds are moved to private schools, piblic schools fare worse,mallowing Republicans to once again “boot-strap” themselves into pointing fingers at poor performance, caused in no small part by transferring voucher funds out of public school budgets.

I urge you to read up on the history of the Milwaukee voucher/choice program. It is the Republican funded model for the nation.