Parents Deserve Choices, but Not at Public Schools' Expense | Opinion

Public education is the great equalizer. Like millions of American students across the country today, growing up, I had only what my neighborhood school provided. And, in my case, it was a good start. It allowed an economically disadvantaged English learner to go on to earn a doctorate and advise the president of the United States.

Still, I believe in school choice. In fact, I am a product of school choice. I chose to attend a public technical high school instead of the traditional neighborhood option. Thirty years later, I believe that choice helped me get to the position of secretary of education.

My career as an educator—and, more importantly, as a father—confirms my belief that every parent should have options on how to educate their children. Whether they have chosen public schools, independent schools, parochial/religious schools, charter or magnet schools, I have seen students flourish.

What I do not believe in is reducing public education dollars to fund vouchers or academic scholarships to private institutions. While many of those institutions do great work preparing students, they take funding from underperforming schools that are so cash-strapped that they are already unable to provide students basic services or adequate learning conditions.

In fact, the national proliferation of voucher programs is contributing to the defunding of public education, an effort that the current administration seems to be accelerating with their policies.

The impact of this will be felt in many ways, not least our country's stand in the world, which will be dependent on the decisions that are made in education in the next few years.

We are at a fork in the road. Do we continue to defund public schools at a time when teachers make on average 24 percent less than other professionals with similar degrees? When students' academic and mental health needs are at crisis level? When facilities are crumbling around our children's heads, as I saw when I visited schools in all 50 states as secretary?

School and district leaders had decisions to make such as whether to fix a broken air handling system or hire a reading teacher to help students who are performing two years behind.

Recruiting and retaining educators is very challenging given the lack of respect our public schools and educators are getting. What happens when we run out of highly qualified teachers and leaders? We risk academic progress, we risk safety, we even risk schools closing because we do not have enough staff—remember the 2021 COVID-19 Omicron wave? Closed schools are bad for kids and bad for the economy.

Will we invest in the supports our schools need, such as robust arts programs, intervention and enrichment programs for all students, emotional and behavioral support for the students who struggle the most, highly qualified and supported educators, and ample college and career pathways so our students graduate with options, like I did?

If we continue down the path of subsidizing for-profit schools, we will turn a public good into a commercial product whose benefit will be measured by profits, not equitable student outcomes. We know that it costs more to educate students with disabilities. It costs more to educate students who are suffering from trauma or have mental health needs. It costs more to support students who have reading difficulties, or are learning English.

If the goal of privatizing education through vouchers is to make a profit, it would be less desirable to accept students who cost more to educate.

What we would end up with are school vouchers being used for "desirable" students in private schools, while the students with greater needs are left behind in sinking public schools that were already underfunded.

In 2024, I visited a school district in Indiana whose superintendent told me that she had to take $12 million out of her operating budget for vouchers. Despite the great need in her district, she now had to subsidize private education with her taxpayer-funded allocation. A school principal in the same district told me that despite the private schools getting and keeping the money, the parents of some students with disabilities were told to return their child to their local public school to ensure they received adequate services. In other words, their children were too expensive to educate.

I believe we must not fall down the rabbit hole of vouchers. Yes, school choice is important and private schools should be an option—but public education dollars should not be used to ensure access to prestigious schools to the families with the greatest influence or best lawyers. Nor should paying for these private options use the funding that is currently allocated to allow students to receive after-school tutoring, join a math club or share their talents on the stage or athletic field.

While the work to improve the outcomes and efficacy of public education is ongoing and critical, imagine what is possible for our country when we fully invest in the education of all students to reach their God-given potential.

▸ Miguel Cardona is a lifelong educator and president of Cardona Solutions. He most recently served as U.S. secretary of education under President Joe Biden.