[Vision2020] Killing Homeschooling in Idaho
Donovan Arnold
donovanarnold@hotmail.com
Sat, 21 Jun 2003 19:06:12 -0700
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<P>Dale,</P>
<P>No disrespect, but you seem to not think through all your viewpoints. </P></DIV>
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<P>You wrote: "Forced registration and mandatory testing for every Idaho home schooled student are on the table. If the measures are enacted, any student who fails to register or who fails to score at grade level on the Idaho Standard Achievement Test (ISAT) could be forced to attend public school." </P>
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<P>I would tend to think that you would think this is a GOOD thing. If a child who stays at home is not even meeting the minimum standards of a grade level that you think is very low, why should a child stay in an environment that gives him/her no advantages? Do you not care about the quality of education a child is receiving? Second, why would this even be considered a threat if you think that home schooling is better then public run schools? You claim it is so much better and we should tap the public schools of funding with vouchers to help pay for this. Is your argument to better education of children in Idaho or to simply drain the school system of funding?</P>
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<P>Next you stated the law should read:</P>
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<P>"The parents of any Idaho government school student performing below grade level will be given a voucher equal to the per pupil cost of that student's government school, and which can be used to attend a private school of the parent's choice." </P>
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<P>This is based on many false assumptions. I will only name a few.</P>
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<P>First, you assume that if a child is doing poorly in school it is not connected to the parents or the child themselves. Often times this is the case and cause, not teachers that don't know how to teach.</P>
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<P>Second, you assume that another school would want to take a student that can't even do well in a public school that has lower standards then the private school. A private school keeps its grades high not by taking failing students but by taking the highest achievers it can. Private schools are businesses and if they take poor performing students their test scores go down and they fail to attract new students. They are not going to allow this to happen.</P>
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<P>Third, you assume that another school has the room and capacity to take more children. Most public schools are over filled to capacity and under funded so will not take any more children unless they are absolutely required to do so, which they are not unless your child lives in that school district. </P>
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<P>Fourth, you assume that if you put the child in a school that tests well your child will test well. This is like saying if I put my child on a soccer team that is number 1 my child will be a number 1 soccer ball player. The situation is far more complicated then this. </P>
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<P>Next you state: "be given a voucher equal to the per pupil cost of that student's government school"</P>
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<P>Two points against this notion:</P>
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<P>First, you assume that there is an exact per pupil cost. Not all children cost the same. Some children cost very little because they are average students, their parents are well enough off, and they live next to the school so they don't need transportation to and from the school. Other students have disabilities, need vouchers for school lunch and breakfast, or live considerable distances away. Other kids have talents or special situations that cost the school more money. Your plan would increase the cost of education by sucking money away from these students who need these things that are required by law. Yes, it is required by law that they transport children and meet ADA regulations. I guess feeding children is a state law you can fight against and I wouldn't be surprised if you thought free lunch for poor children was a program we could slash for your voucher program.</P>
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<P>Second point. You assume that parents are entitled to control an amount of money equal to the number of children they have. Where do you get this idea from? Don't people that pay into the system have a say in where the money should go to? How about adults that don't have children, should they be required to pay teachers in another county, or fund some church that teaches them to dislike people of another religion, or fuel more bible thumpers to come knocking on your door on Saturday mourning to tell you if you don't read this book you are going to hell? Or fund some neo-nazi preacher? I don't want to fund that, either does millions of other people. Under your plan Bob Jones would have been funded. People also don't want funds going out of the city. Why do I want to fund tax dollars to go to Lewiston or Pullman? Teachers should buy their homes here, buy stuff here, and invest here as much as possible. Pumping millions of dollars outside the county or city is a bad ide!
a that destroys the community and eventually would weaken the economy and thus reduce the amount of voucher money you would get to spend in other counties. People also wouldn't be able to vote on school or bond issues, and wouldn't vote for them here either because their children would not go to school here. People would not want to fund education here because their children would not go to school here, they would being attending school in a different district where they would not benefit from the system. They would have zero say in the crime, laws, and the community their child was attending school in. All this because you think that it is the school and not anything else that is hurting the education attainment of the child. </P>
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<P>I feel that if we have problems with our educational system we should stay and work them out not flee and hide or pass them on to another school district like cowards would do. We need to face the problems and teach our children to take responsibility for our messes and problems, not run away when things get a little tuff to work on and figure out. What kind of principles are those to teach children?</P>
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<P>Thanks!</P>
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<P>Donovan J Arnold</P>
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<P>>From: "Dale Courtney" <DALE@COURTNEYS.US></P>
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<DIV></DIV>>To: <VISION2020@MOSCOW.COM>
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<DIV></DIV>>Subject: [Vision2020] Killing Homeschooling in Idaho
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<DIV></DIV>>Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2003 12:08:53 -0700
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<DIV></DIV>>Forced registration and mandatory testing for every Idaho home schooled
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<DIV></DIV>>student are on the table. If the measures are enacted, any student who
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<DIV></DIV>>fails to register or who fails to score at grade level on the Idaho Standard
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<DIV></DIV>>Achievement Test (ISAT) could be forced to attend public school.
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<DIV></DIV>>The following is a summary of the primary elements of the Idaho State
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<DIV></DIV>>Education Committee's "Draft Recommendation on Home Education":
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<DIV></DIV>>-Mandatory registration and oversight of all home schoolers with their local
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<DIV></DIV>>school districts;
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<DIV></DIV>>-Required testing of all home schoolers on the Idaho Standard Achievement
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<DIV></DIV>>Test (ISAT);
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<DIV></DIV>>-Forced remediation and reassessment of any home school student failing to
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<DIV></DIV>>score at grade level as required of public school students; and
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<DIV></DIV>>-Truancy and juvenile criminal prosecution of students and parents failing
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<DIV></DIV>>to comply with these requirements.
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<DIV></DIV>>It would be better if the proposal were amended to read:
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<DIV></DIV>>"The parents of any Idaho government school student performing below grade
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<DIV></DIV>>level will be given a voucher equal to the per pupil cost of that student's
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<DIV></DIV>>government school, and which can be used to attend a private school of the
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<DIV></DIV>>parent's choice."
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<DIV></DIV>>But what's the chances of that?
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<DIV></DIV>>Best,
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<DIV></DIV>>Dale Courtney
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<DIV></DIV>>Moscow, Idaho
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