As a student, parent and educator, I am not in favor of publicly-funded vouchers. By continuing the voucher program, we are continuing to erode the effectiveness of our public education system. If we have a bipartisan committee reviewing publicly-funded curriculum standards, our public education should suffice for all of our children. That is, with the exception of parents who choose to home-school to protect their student from bullying or harassment. Those protections should be resolved separately from the issue of school funding.

The decision to be “awarded a voucher” should not be funded with public tax dollars because there is already a tax-funded option that meets the necessary requirements. Religious education, if chosen by the parent, should be funded by the parent and should be taught at home or in churches so that religious freedom can exist in the public space of a public school.

We all agree that we have limited funds to provide public education — they are not infinite. It is imperative that the system be effective for as many of our children as possible. We must work together to set the highest standards possible with the minimal amount of tax dollars necessary. That is exactly why we need a Federal Department of Education: to provide any additional funding necessary to meet the lack of funds at the state level. New Hampshire is notorious for a lack of resources provided for funding a fair and equal education for all students.

Beverly Ann

Loudon