Whose choice is it, really?

In the debate over private school vouchers, Gov. Reynolds is attempting to frame the decision to funnel millions of dollars away from Iowa’s public schools as “parental choice.”

It isn’t parents who get to make the choice to send their kids to private schools, however, it is private schools who get to make the choice.

Here is a list of some of the students and families who will struggle to find private schools who will accept them.

1. Families with no private school close to them (many Iowans from rural areas).

2. Students with disabilities.

3. English language learners.

4. Low-income families. While the governor’s proposal has income guidelines that purport to help lower income families, many families who live with poverty experience a broad range of barriers to education, it goes beyond finances. Private schools can deny anyone, for any reason.

5. Students and families who identify as gay or transgender. Some private schools don’t even want these students to acknowledge their, or their parents’, identity, let alone accept them into their school communities.

A cynic might believe there are families in Iowa who wish to keep their children separate from members of their community, described above. Most Iowans are not this closed minded, however, this voucher plan will make it much easier to create a segregated school system.

This will not depend as much on parental choice as it will on the private schools’ decision about who they do and do not want to educate.

JP Claussen

On behalf of Iowa City Community School District