Phantom students and school choice.
I have yet to hear a remotely convincing argument against school choice - from the perspective of the students, the parents and Americans in general. Perhaps the worst, yet most common, argument is that school choice would drain funds from the public schools. I have heard intelligent people indignantly make this argument. You see the problem, right? If parents have a choice at a zero price and choose an alternative at a non-zero price (or even at the same zero price) it must be because they prefer the alternative. The less preferred alternative gets a signal to improve or else lose the money. It should lose the money.
Well, it turns out (see the linked op-ed above) that state governments have set it up so that the failing public schools actually do not lose the money when students leave to enrol in charter schools - at least for an extended time. The public school retains the money for the student even though he/she is not there - a phantom student. This puts taxpayers on the spot to pay twice for these students.
Where is the outrage?!!
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