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by Pamela Pettibone
Vouchers or tax credits, charter or private schools: the school choice debate continues unabated in the political sphere. But families with children in poorly performing schools don't have the luxury of waiting for these political issues to be resolved-their kids have to be back in school each September.
For upper- and middle-income families, their educational choices may consist of living in an affluent and successful school district or else sending their children to a private school that upholds their particular belief system. For poor families, however, school choice can mean the difference between dropping out or moving up. For them, purchasing a home in a wealthy suburb is not a likely option, and private school tuition as low as $2,500 per student may represent as much as 8 to10 percent of the total family income.
But help is available from private voucher programs such as Children's Educational Opportunity Foundation of Michigan (CEO Michigan). State Senate Majority Leader and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Dick Posthumus established the foundation in 1994 under the premise that "all parents should have the right to choose where their children go to school" and have greater freedom in providing educational alternatives.
Three years ago, CEO Michigan selected 150 scholarship recipients from a pool of about 1,200 applicants: Each student had slightly better than a one-in-ten chance to receive aid. This year the list has ballooned to over 5,000 applicants from across the state who hope to receive tuition assistance from CEO Michigan. All of these students and their parents heard of CEO Michigan's voucher program through their schools or from families who have already been helped.
CEO Michigan co-chairman Betsy DeVos believes that the impact of a CEO grant may not be quantifiable, but maintains that, "a missed opportunity falls into the nebulous world of 'might-have-beens.' Headlines every week remind us that our children and families, and therefore our entire nation, are at risk." DeVos continues, "Education isn't the only problem, and school choice isn't the only answer. But the parents who have applied to our program for scholarship assistance believe the schools they have chosen will contribute to forming their children into successful adults. And these parents are willing to make great personal sacrifices to reach that goal."
Applying for a grant is simple. The parent receives an application form from the chosen school, or directly from CEO Michigan. If the family falls within the income guidelines for the Federal Reduced Price Hot Lunch program listed on the back of the application, they fill it out and send it to the CEO Michigan office. The foundation chooses the names of scholarship recipients by lottery, and notifies the parents by letter. The parents select a suitable school for their child, the school of choice is contacted in the fall, and the grant money is sent directly to the school on behalf of the child.
The reasons these parents and guardians want school choice vary greatly, but all of the recipients are quick to express their thanks. One grandmother writes, "The school that my granddaughter attended before was dysfunctional and profane…. I appreciate to the fullest your help with her to stay in St. Michael's." Many parents choose schools that uphold their personal religious beliefs. One mother put it this way, "Having Christ as the center and foundation of the educational process is important to our entire family…. We are very grateful for CEO's assistance in financing our son's education."
As Michigan legislators, voters, and parents sort out the best way to educate all of our young people, CEO Michigan provides the opportunity for low-income families to have real choices for their children today.
Pamela Pettibone is program administrator with CEO Michigan of Grand Rapids, a private scholarship program serving the entire state of Michigan.
