Pell Grants for K-12 education? If President Bush gets his wish that’s exactly what will happen according to guest columnist Eugene Hickok in a February 17, 2008 Times Dispatch article.
The Pell Grants would work in the same fashion as college grants of the same name. They would be allotted to low-income k-12 students as they are for low-income college students. Any student who is financially trapped in a poor performing school would be awarded the grant. They could then opt for a higher performing private school.
Any public funding that is diverted away from public schools to private schools is hotly debated by both sides. Those who prefer funding the educational system we have view Pell Grants as another attempt to draw desperately needed monies away from where they are needed most. Those who favor choice in education view the scholarships as a way out of a broken educational system that no amount of money can fix.
Money is not necessarily the answer to either problem. Simply throwing cash at education has never worked and there are plenty examples of schools that are well funded fail as well as schools who can be considered under funded excel. The Richmond School District is a perfect example. According a February 3, 2008 Times Dispatch article by David Press “In all, Richmond schools spend a bit more than $13,000 per pupil -- with about $4,500 of that actually going to classrooms as teacher and teacher-aide salaries, textbooks, and materials and supplies...” However, according to the Virginia Department of Education’s school division report card, the Richmond School District did not make Adequate Yearly Progress.
Before President Bush considers siphoning funds away from poor performing schools they should require a truly independent review of why a school is failing. Then attack those issues independently on a case by case basis.
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