From the Spartanburg Herald-Journal

By BRANTLEE DILLARD FULMER
For the Herald-Journal

Published: Sunday, January 25, 2009

As a Spartanburg native and the mother of a 3-year-old son, I have a personal reason for becoming involved in our state’s school choice debate. While I’m proud that some of Spartanburg County’s schools consistently score well and even set the pace for our state, it’s naïve to believe that our county’s best schools are all that we are judged on.

Ignoring South Carolina schools that don’t do well and repeatedly screaming for “more money” is akin to sticking our heads in the sand and acting like our perennial lowest-in-the-nation rankings will just go away. We all know that’s not going to happen, and we must be innovative to improve and give our children the best available education.

Our children deserve better. Our hardworking teachers deserve better. Our parents and taxpayers deserve better.

After watching this issue from the sidelines for the past several years, I became active and got involved. Along with other concerned parents who believe in free enterprise and competition, I formed a Spartanburg organization called School Choice Now.

If Spartanburg County taxpayers, parents and teachers really understood school choice, they would demand more educational options and an environment that encourages excellence. The S.C. Legislature would surely respond. I don’t claim to be an expert, but one does not need to be to see some common-sense reasons why South Carolina parents deserve universal school choice now.

(1) In an economy where we evaluate product options and choose what brands to purchase, why should education be any different? Why do we financially punish taxpayers if they choose alternative options in their children’s schooling? School choice is a great opportunity for families that want to be more involved in their children’s education, and this is one of the biggest reasons I support it. I want that choice, too.

(2) Our state gives parents choices for college students (for example, HOPE, LIFE and Palmetto Fellows Scholarships that can be used at public or private institutions) but not to parents of K-12 children. It seems that the education received from kindergarten through high school is just as important, if not more so than a college education, therefore educational choice should extend to K-12 as well.

(3) South Carolina will spend approximately $12,480 to educate each child this year. In the current economic times, it may be wise to consider alternative ways to apply this educational funding. For example, in Florida, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability found that the state’s school choice programs saved taxpayers almost $39 million last year. The study points out that Florida public schools saved more than $6,100 for every one of the 21,493 students who participated in the school choice program — altogether saving the state $118 million in school costs for the 2007-2008 school year.

Research done by Florida TaxWatch and the Collins Center for Public Policy at Florida State University confirms that school choice is indeed saving taxpayers serious money. Also cited is a 2007 Friedman Foundation study, which found “Instructional spending per student consistently increased in all public school districts and states that were subject to voucher programs. School choice has not prevented those states and districts from spending more on the students who remain in public schools.”

Fifteen states around the nation implemented school choice programs and reaped similar rewards in saved money and in improved student performance. Most important is that these school choice programs provided parents opportunities to decide whether a public, private or religious school would best meet the needs of their child.

If school choice can improve the lives of families in Florida, it can do the same in South Carolina. As the economy struggles and available funds shrink, South Carolina lawmakers may want to consider the financial and academic boon that school choice has been to Florida and other states and implement similar measures here.

(4) Every parent and teacher knows that no two children are the same, and although a one-size-fits-all system may have worked years ago, it’s antiquated and needs to be retooled. The answer is to allow for school choice so parents can determine what’s best for their children without penalty or coercion.

Since we are 49th in the nation in education, nearly 48 percent of our high school freshmen never graduate and we are consistently found to be not proficient in math and reading, why do we hesitate to implement reform? It’s time to admit that what we’ve done for decades just isn’t working. I believe in the children of South Carolina and the potential they possess. Giving parents choices in education will help children to achieve their potential.

We need school choice now.

Brantlee Dillard Fulmer is the chairperson of School Choice Now, a locally based grass-roots group supporting education reform in South Carolina. She can be reached at (864) 921-2000.