School choice is a fictional concept

The banner at the corner of Cedar and Lee, on the grounds of Cleveland Heights High School, invites passersby to “Choose public. Choose Heights.” It lists assets that make our public schools notable and something to be proud of. The emphasis on choice is an effort by public-education supporters to co-opt the message used by voucher advocates, who emphasize school choice to justify public funding of private education.

Choice is a popular idea, but when it comes to education, it is harmful. Separation and individualism replace unity, inclusion and shared purpose. Individual rights, not the common good, drive public investment. 

I’d like to change the banner to read, “Our children. Our public schools. Our future.”

Parents have always had the right to opt out of the public system. Until the advent of vouchers, families could choose private education or home schooling, and any cost was their responsibility. Now it’s the public’s, and that is wrong.

Privatizers have successfully made the public pay for an individual preference without offering anything in return. No restrictions, expectations or requirements for accountability to the public follow taxpayer funds. There are no standards for education quality and no protections for students.

Not only is choice a serious departure from the common good, it also falsely describes what actually takes place. Private education is a limited choice, and the schools do the choosing. Unlike public schools that include everyone and are everywhere, private schools are exclusive and concentrated in the most populous counties. Because private schools select their students, there are plenty who are left out, including those with disabilities, behavior issues or records of substandard academic performance. Vouchers mean choice for a few. Learning together, a hallmark of public schools, is lost.

Cleveland Heights families are rich with private-school options. There are more than 120 private schools in Cuyahoga County. Only nine of Ohio’s 88 counties have more than 15. Forty-six counties have fewer than three private schools, and 11 have none. Most private schools are religious, further limiting who may feel they have a choice to attend.

The initial push for vouchers was to help poor children. Now, anyone, regardless of income, can ask for a voucher. Private-school tuition ranges from $1,400 to more than $60,000. With an $8,000 voucher, many families are still priced out, and, in 2024, most vouchers went to high-income families whose children were already enrolled in private schools.

I fear that the state’s privat- school subsidy—an amount greater than the state’s per-pupil spending on public education—will also drive up the cost of private-school education, especially among the lower-cost schools, further limiting low-income students’ access to private education. Now schools can charge more, but there is no guarantee that higher tuition will result in better educational opportunities.

Because private education in Ohio is unregulated, opaque and unaccountable, an $8,000 voucher is a powerful incentive to create new private schools. I expect we will see a lot more people getting into the business without creating the kind of secure and lasting institutions that make for solid education.

Public education is everywhere and includes everyone. Public schools are reliable and enduring. Public schools are a shared project of each community’s residents—even those without children. They foster community!

Public funds are precious and education is essential. There is nothing about the choice advanced by vouchers that meets the needs of taxpayers or protects students. It’s hard to capture the essence of public education in a few words, but public education is more than a choice. It is a pillar of our community. It benefits us all and unites us. It is a reliable source of opportunity that welcomes everyone—a resource for democracy.