Wayne “Dempsey” Worner: Defund education: Here’s how!

At that meeting, a majority of the board expressed support for legislation that would approve vouchers and/or tax credits that would divert tax money from the public schools to individuals who choose to have their students attend private schools or be homeschooled.

Were those policies to be approved, several outcomes are predictable:

The first is the resegregation of Virginia’s schools on the basis of family economic conditions. Under any such plan, the costs for students to participate in an alternative program would likely exceed the value of the voucher (or other incentive) and require additional funds from the family. Consequently, not all families would have the same opportunity to select an alternative program. In addition, most students in public schools have transportation provided by the public school system. Public transportation would not be available to students attending charter or other private school programs. For those who have no transportation option, there is no access to the alternative program(s). Without access, there is no choice.