In Governor Christie’s proposed Budget for 2015-2016, there is a recommendation for $2 million for the Opportunity Scholarship Demonstration Pilot Program to provide children in chronically failing schools the chance to attend out-of-district public schools or nonpublic schools, in order to provide every child with a high quality education.  The language is identical to the program that was removed from the Budget by Senate leadership in the Fiscal Year 2014 Appropriations Act. 

Once again, the opponents of school choice continue to raise arguments against this modest attempt to assist students to leave their current failing public school.  This is an excellent opportunity to examine some of the arguments used by these opponents and to refute them accordingly. 

The program is too small.  When the Opportunity Scholarship Act itself was moving through the Legislature, there was debate regarding how many districts would be appropriate.  The same opponents argued then that it was “too large.”  Now, a $2 million program is “too small.”  This seems like a variation of the argument from “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” in which the porridge has to be just right in order to satisfy them. However, the truth is that they will never be satisfied by a program of any size.

The program only provides 200 scholarships.  This argument comes from language in the Governor’s Budget which talks about a limit of $10,000 for each scholarship.  Some critics divided $10,000 into $2 million and arrived at the figure of 200 scholarships. However, the tuition at a majority of nonpublic elementary schools in the state is far less than $10,000, thus creating a larger number of scholarships.

This program is an assault on public education.  The absurd nature of such a claim suggests that those who hold this argument fail to realize the basic principle that not every school is right for every child.  However, many of these students are not getting the education they deserve and cannot transfer to another school because their family income limits their residence – and thus what public school they can attend. 

The program will cream only the best students.  Logic suggests that a student who is happy in his/her current educational setting will not want to leave that school.  Even failing public schools have children on their Honor Roll.  Therefore, the program is aimed at those students who are not able to achieve, or have safety concerns and/or other issues in their current educational setting. 

The program will not solve the woes of urban public education.  None of the proponents of the Opportunity Scholarship Demonstration Pilot Program suggest that this will be the ultimate panacea.  It is merely one piece of the puzzle.  Those who remember the early objections to charter schools will recall that the opponents of those programs used the same arguments to attempt to thwart the founding of charter schools.  They were unsuccessful, and charters remain part of the school choice solution.

Full school choice offers a variety of educational options for students who are performing poorly. By offering the opportunity to attend another public school (including a charter school) or a nonpublic school, this scholarship program does not limit the choices that the family may make to provide a better education for their children. 

While these are merely some of the arguments that will be used to eliminate this program, it is important to look at the alternatives proposed by those opposed to any attempt at a school choice initiative.  Their solution usually revolves around some variation of the following mantra: “Give us more time and/or give us more money.” The simple fact is that the students who are suffering from lack of a quality education are out of time and the taxpayers are out of money. 

Please contact your Senator or member of the New Jersey General Assembly to ask that this modest program, which takes no money away from public education, be retained in the Appropriations Act presented to Governor Christie at the end of June.  Please pay special attention to contacting Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto to exercise their leadership in this effort to create a pilot program of school choice in New Jersey, which will then be evaluated for its effectiveness. 

George V. Corwell, Ed.D. is the Director of the Office of Education for the New Jersey Catholic Conference and has been an advocate for nonpublic school students, parents, and teachers in New Jersey for the past 27 years. 

To send a message to your legislators expressing your desire to retain the Opportunity Scholarship program in the Appropriations Act, go to the N.J. Catholic Conference’s “Faith in Action” advocacy page at votervoice.net/ NJCC/Campaigns/39480/Respond