CHOICES FOR REFORM

• Published in: The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, N.M. : 1988)
• Main Author: Ginger Fisher, with photo by Julie Graber
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Santa Fe, N.M Santa Fe New Mexican 18.04.1999
• Subjects: Johnson, Gary
• ISSN: 1938-4068

Here in Santa Fe, public school officials work within a traditional governmental bureaucracy ruled by complex state and federal regulations. Rapidly changing student needs, community expectations and resource allocations present difficult challenges. District officials recognize the need for improving local schools and are focusing their efforts on building student success and school accountability. They use long-term planning procedures, "best practice" research from effective schools around the country, locally developed curriculum standards and community and parent partnerships to promote their reform efforts. The district cites improving student dropout rates, rising standardized test scores, and positive parent satisfaction surveys as indications that they are making progress. The third level of choice involves continuing to support public schools with tax money but enrolling one's children in nonpublic educational programs. Nonpublic schools generally establish their own philosophies, set specific admissions standards and charge tuition for services provided. Parents who can afford this choice express generally high levels of involvement in and satisfaction with their children's educational programs. Large transfers of students between public schools into private schools can affect both schools by changing student enrollments, teacher assignments and class sizes. Several nonpublic educational options include: Tax-funded voucher plans, which Gov. [Gary Johnson] advocates and which are drawing intense debate around the country, raise important questions for supporters and critics alike. Will competition with private schools lead to effective reform in public schools? How will the movement of voucher students change the student population in public and private schools? Will the federal and state regulations that affect public schools be mandated in private schools that accept tax-funded vouchers? Where will low-income students find additional money to cover the difference between their vouchers and most private school tuition and most private school tuition rates?