“And we need to give parents greater choice, particularly poor parents whose kids, very often minorities, are trapped in failing neighborhood schools. This is the civil rights issue of our day”. This statement was greeted with a thunderous applause and a standing ovation when delivered by Condoleezza Rice in a speech at the Republican National Convention more than a decade ago, August 29, 2012.
Since that speech there has been a lot of talks, articles, and reports decrying the plight of education in our inner cities and the devastating scores in reading and math since the COVID-19 lockdown. Perhaps it was within this context of poorly educated black children in failing public schools that Governor Shapiro, himself the product of a private religious school education, decided to campaign for school vouchers; and appropriate $100 million in his budget to this cause. He however quickly rescinded on his campaign promise upon pressure from the Teacher’s Unions and his fellow Democrats.
Conservatives and Progressives alike can understand the statistics: an elementary school in West Philadelphia has a math proficiency of 3% and a reading proficiency of 15%, and that many blacks in prison read at or below a 5th grade level. Both camps admit the problem, but differ on the solution. Regarding children who cannot read and are stuck in failing schools, Republicans believe school choice is the answer, citing that private and Christian schools have a track record of educating minorities; therefore, “Give parents vouchers to send their children to private or religious schools where they would learn to read.” The Democrats say, “No, that is not the solution; let us use the money to improve failing schools.” And the impasse continues, almost 11 years after Condoleezza’s speech.
As a black conservative Republican who does not believe that free education or free health care are rights guaranteed by God or the constitution, I strongly believe that the private sector should now rise up and help black and brown children in failing schools to learn to read and obtain a good education.
Pennsylvania is blessed to have an EITC (Education Improvement Tax Credit) program, where individuals, businesses, and corporations can re-direct their state taxes (3.5%) from Harrisburg to a private or religious school of their choice to support the school or to pay the tuition of a particular student. I believe this should start with a public declaration by Governor Shapiro and all the other legislators who believe in school choice and desire to give a black or brown child an opportunity to escape a failing school and learn to read. They should put their money where their mouths are and encourage other Pennsylvanians to do the same. I know a medical doctor who used the EITC program to pay the tuition of an African American kindergartener. The little girl graduated as a valedictorian of her class. For those who are retired or may not be employed, but have money, they too can pay a child’s tuition or support a local private school.
With all the professional sports teams and other businesses in Pennsylvania and all the millionaires and even billionaires in Pennsylvania, it breaks my heart that children in Philadelphia are condemned to remain in failing schools because the parents do not have the money for an alternative, and their $100M voucher escape has been gutted by their representatives they sent to Harrisburg.
I confess a bias for private Christian schools where children get a strong academic foundation, girded by Biblical moral underpinnings, “You shall not steal; You shall not lie; You shall not murder, etc.” I know a very good African American Christian school operating out of the cramped basement of a church struggling to do just that.
There is a correlation between poor education and inner city crime. Someone summed up the homicide problem in Philadelphia – and I guess in inner cities across the country: “Poorly educated, fatherless black youth murdering other poorly educated fatherless black youth”. If we in the private sector can do something to help change the first phrase, ‘poorly educated’, then perhaps we would see a decline in the rest of the statement.
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