What Jeanie Forrester advocates is school choice for all kids

To the editor,

Bob Lamb claims that Jeanie Forrester voted to reduce public school aid. This is not true. She voted to give parents a choice about where their child is to be educated.

The education tax credit bill, which Jeannie Forrester supports, comes from business donations to a non-profit scholarship organization. A student receiving such a scholarship can attend any school he/she likes, whether it's a private school, another public school, or home schooling. Since funding for public schools depends on the number of students attending that school, under-performing schools have a reason to oppose education tax credits-except that when kids leave with a scholarship, the school district has a budget protection cap, and can't lose more than one-quarter of 1 percent of its total budget (meaning they keep no less than 99.75 percent of their budget) no matter how many students leave. So there isn't cause to worry-unless it's about the students forced to stay in an under-performing school.

What Jeanie Forrester advocates is school choice. She wants to give children a chance to attend a better school, if they can qualify for it, and if their parents think it's the best thing to do. No child should have to stay in a substandard school simply so the school district can collect a few more tax dollars.

Jackie Colthart

Ashland