DO SCHOOL VOUCHERS HELP OR HURT THE FIGHT FOR BETTER EDUCATION? The Impact Of Trump's Proposed B
Martin also spoke with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers and Dr. Steve Perry, founder and head of schools for Capital Preparatory Schools about President Trump's allocation of $1.4 billion dollars for a school voucher program in his 2018 fiscal budget. The funds would invest $1.15 billion into public school-choice programs and $250 million into private school choice programs. Weingarten has argued that this choice would be a blow to public schools and have little benefit for kids who receive vouchers. Perry, a staunch advocate for school choice countered, "[Weingarten's] organization has vehemently fought against school choice and continues to do so. The fact is that parents deserve the right to choose. It's the reason why we opened a school in Harlem and 1,500 children applied for 80 seats. It's the reason why we opened a school in Bridgeport and 1,000 children applied for 250 seats, over and over again. Public education is not defined by the product, meaning the building at the end of the street. It's defined by the process, meaning the people who were educated. So when the public, the parents - say they want to choose another school, how dare anyone, any special interest group, try to convince us that we need to go back to an older America. We need to go forward."
