Why is it so difficult to provide a quality education for our children? I discussed this question last year with the dean of a well-known private university . In just a few moments of serious discussion, I came to realize the wisdom of his words.
During the course of our conversation, I commented how I would like to attract more headquarters of large corporations to Arizona for obvious economic reasons. He noted that our K-12 public education system is not competitive with other states and unless we produce a bettereducated student, we will continue to see industry leaders reluctant to move their headquarters (and their families) to Arizona.
When I asked how to overcome the bureaucracy of it all to ensure high quality teachers and curriculum, he answered with one word: competition. While we discussed many things regarding education, the one recurring thought I came away with was the importance of a free market education system.
If I need a phone, I have many options from which to choose. I can select the phone plan that best fits my needs and preferences. I can get service from the phone company, the cable company or cell phone companies. If one company has poor customer service or has a low quality product, I can choose another.
This is not the case with our public education in Arizona. While charter schools have been a step in the right direction, they offer a very limited form of competition. Private and parochial schools offer a very reasonable alternative in this state. The problem is it forces parents to pay twice for the same product — the education of a child. An attempt by the Legislature last year to expand that program to allow corporations to do the same thing was vetoed by the governor, which meant that private schools that offer viable competition would have remained likely only for parents with the means to pay twice. The Governor did sign a limited version early this year. I think she is begining to see the value of competition.
The current lack of serious competition is due to a near-monopoly by the government in our schools and is failing our children. But vouchers and school choice for parents would change all that.
Vouchers put the decision of who to pay directly in the hands of the consumer parent. If schools — private, charter or public — want to educate, they will have to show that their administration, teachers and curriculum produces a better student.
Since the introduction of charter schools, the state’s public schools have taken notice of this limited competition. Districts have hired consultants and commissioned studies to find ways to improve, thereby attracting more students.
We can avoid the past insanities of continually throwing more money at our educational deficiencies while expecting a different result. Instead let us better the educational product by offering healthy competition and the ultimate accountability of the marketplace to improve our kids’ educational choices.
Senator Chuck Gray
