Inquirer Editorial: Should Pa. expand vouchers?

Advocates for school vouchers in Pennsylvania want us to believe that vouchers are the best way to help students escape failing public schools.

But they are a shortsighted fix for lousy public schools. If approved, struggling schools would face even more problems.

The state Senate has narrowly approved a measure to provide taxpayer-funded tuition vouchers in 143 of the state's worst-performing schools.

So far, the response from the House has been lukewarm, and the bill could face an uncertain future. Letting it die would be in the best interest of public schools.

Vouchers help a small number of children with highly motivated parents leave bad schools. They are not a viable option for most public school children who are being left behind.

According to estimates, the voucher bill would siphon millions of taxpayer dollars from public schools - $16 million the first year alone.

If approved, students in 88 Philadelphia schools would be eligible for the vouchers. Schools in the Chester-Upland and William Penn districts would also qualify.

The bill would offer families with incomes of $29,000 or less a voucher good at either parochial or other private schools.

But those schools would not be required to admit voucher students. There is a strong likelihood that there aren't enough seats to meet demand. And some schools may have admission criteria that would bar many students.

Especially troublesome are provisions that would take effect in the second year. If passed, the law would pay tuition for low-income students already enrolled in private schools.

A better approach to fix ailing public schools is to provide adequate funding and resources and hold the schools accountable to get better academic results or face closing.

Instead, Gov. Corbett this year slashed $860 million in state funding for public education. Those deep cuts forced struggling districts like Philadelphia to cut key programs and lay off teachers and support staff.

Pennsylvania should take note of voucher programs in places like Milwaukee and Cleveland, where they have yielded mixed results. They have not been a panacea for public schools.

In fact, researchers with the Center on Education Policy in Washington have found that vouchers have "no clear positive impact" on student academic achievement.

Not surprisingly, most Pennsylvanians oppose school vouchers as a bad idea for public education, according to a new survey by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

The voucher bill has some good points that warrant support. It would make long-overdue changes to the charter school law and set new academic and fiscal standards to make charters more accountable.

It would also boost the tax credit program that pays for private school tuition from $75 million to $100 million, with more increases to come.

The legislation largely mirrors the education reform agenda pushed by Corbett with a few changes. The governor has expressed support for it.

Similar proposals introduced in the legislature this year have gone nowhere. This latest effort deserves the same fate.