The most recent quarterly reports from scholarship granting organizations participating in the Alabama Accountability Act are now posted on the web site of the Alabama Department of Revenue. These cover the period from April 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016.
While there are currently six SGOs approved to operate in the state, only four submitted reports. These were Rocket City SGO from Owens Cross Roads with 37 scholarships; AAA Scholarship Foundation from Prattville with 38 participants; Scholarships for Kids of Birmingham with 1,883 scholarships and Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund of Birmingham with 2,059 students.
The most recent list (7-12-16) of participating private schools shows 191 have been approved. Of these, records show that 43 do not presently have any students on scholarship through AAA. Out of the total of 191, 78 are listed as non-accredited.
These reports show 4,017 students with scholarships. Of these, 626 (15.5 percent) go to non-accredited schools.
(The original law from 2013 was amended in the 2015 regular session stating that schools must obtain accreditation within three years. This gives non-accredited schools until June 9, 2018 to obtain accreditation.)
Of course, taxpayers were told repeatedly in 2013 that this law was about helping students stuck in failing schools. This has never proved to be the case. For instance, of the 4,017 now on scholarship, only 978 are shown to be “zoned” to attend a failing school. That is 24.3 percent. And the key word is “zoned” rather than “attending.” A child may have attended a private school all their life, but live in a neighborhood where the local school is labeled as “failing.” So though they never attended the neighborhood school, they are still classified as “zoned” for a failing school.
I have written more than 40 articles on this blog about the accountability act and what I believe are its shortcomings. However, I have also said repeatedly that I am certain there are students who have benefited from getting a scholarship for whatever the reason.
But here’s what the AAA supporters never mention. We have 730,000 children attending public schools in Alabama. From 2013 through today, we have diverted $73.5 million from the education trust fund to benefit about 4,000 students.
Don’t these 730,000 count?
Is this equity? Is it fair? And most importantly, is it moral?
I never understand why dollars following a student is considered a diversion. The purpose of public education dollars is not to sustain a Trust Fund or a bureaucracy. If 4,000 students are not at a public school that is $40,000,000 per year less obligation. I think it is very fair to inquire broadly as to what educational outcomes we are getting (public+private+homeschool)for our public monies.
Lifelong learning in an information age means that public schools will deliver an ever-declining percentage of the overall educational enterprise. And the portion of that which comes through traditional K-12 public classrooms will also decline.
This is good. Society is delivering on a broad public need and demand for learning. Now we must think much more strategically and flexibly about where the public dollars go.
Asking why dollars should go to fund a slice of private school students because of their address is fair.
Alabama Opportunity Scholarship is very clear that the “failed zone” students get first priority. The primary reason I started comment was not to express this view, but to simply share I applied this year for a first time scholarship. This is the second day of school–and AOSF has not yet made a decision. This makes it impossible to make best use of these funds. If it does come through it will be impossible to make use of it at a private school that has high demand. It will give me the opportunity to choose between a catastrophe of a public school and questionable private schools.
Thanks so much for your response. Insightful. While we were told that this law was all about “helping poor kids stuck in failing schools by their zip codes” that was never the case. Numbers show that only about 25% of those on scholarship were even “zoned” for a failing school. This does not mean they were attending a failing school. In fact, as best can be determined, at least 1,000 scholarships went to students who were already attending a private school. And don’t forget that a scholarship granting organization can keep 5% of what it raises for administration and marketing. This means we have diverted more than $3 million to pay salaries for folks who go around telling us how bad public schools are.