Vouchers+a+fundraising+opportunity+for+politicians

= = = = =By John Baer= =Published by the Philadelphia Daily News= =10/17/11= = = = = = = =THE POLITICS OF vouchers or, as Gov. Corbett insists on calling them, "opportunity scholarships," is a mess.= =It's a tug-of-war among ideological and regional teams. Its issues are tied to unions, the Catholic Church, race, geography and, above all, money.= =It's not a new fight. The last Republican governor, Tom Ridge, tried three times for vouchers, failing each time. Now, as then, it's certain to provoke a policy brawl - and not necessarily over what's best for //all// the children.= =Immediate beneficiaries are lawmakers who will see their campaign coffers crammed with contributions from interests on both sides.= =In fact, the timing and scope of this push suggests that it's a fundraiser for the 2012 elections, and further evidence of the need for campaign-finance reform.= =Corbett last week called for $21 million in vouchers for 4,100 lower-income kids at failing schools, the majority of which are, of course, in Philly.= =That's 4,100 statewide. Philly has roughly 160,000 in public schools. The statewide total is 1.76 million, according to U.S. Department of Education data.= =Corbett's vouchers would go to private schools, charters or other public schools. The $5,000 to $7,000 (depending on family income) price tag appears aimed at Catholic schools, because privates can cost two to three times that amount.= =The proposal is less ambitious than others, current or past.= =Ridge's last effort (his 1998 "super vouchers") would have awarded $5,000 to any Philly student, regardless of family income, to attend a private school.= =Which tells you two things: Like Ridge, Corbett can't get a big plan passed; and, like Ridge, he plans to be back.= =So get ready for the same old fights: rural lawmakers who (in most cases, privately) hate more money going to urban (read minority) education; conservatives bashing unions; liberals arguing that vouchers punish more kids than they help; the right claiming that the private sector can better educate kids; the left saying that the system's being sold out to anti-union privateers.= ="Anytime the private sector sees a large pot of public money, it wants to get its hands on it," says Tim Potts, a liberal activist who heads the grassroots Democracy Rising. "Why isn't the Corbett administration trying to fix public schools that are broken? Because they want failure so they can better make a case for turning schools over to the private sector . . . it's all about the money. If there wasn't any money, they wouldn't be doing this."= =Matt Brouillette, a conservative voucher-backer who runs the free-market think tank Commonwealth Foundation, also says it's about money, different money: "The 800-pound gorilla is the PSEA [the state teachers' union], one of the biggest campaign contributors. Many lawmakers are either on board with them or afraid of an opponent who is . . . remember, vouchers are going mostly to schools with teachers who don't pay union dues."= =During the last election cycle, PSEA gave money to more than 60 percent of House members and 70 percent of Senators, according to a foundation analysis.= =Meanwhile, the pro-voucher group Students First, which gave pro-voucher Philly Democratic Sen. Anthony Williams close to $5 million before and after his failed primary campaign for governor last year, continues to spend.= =And lawmakers take from both sides. As I wrote back in June, Philly Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans got $50,000 from Students First and $18,000 from PSEA; House GOP Leader Mike Turzai got $50,000 from Students First, $23,500 from PSEA.= =So here we go again. Another issue tainted by the fact that Pennsylvania allows unlimited campaign contributions.= =Who thinks it'll be resolved on its merits? Show of hands?= = = =News= =home=