McCain Right, Obama Wrong on School Vouchers

"All I want is for my children to get the best education they can."

That statement, along with so many others, has been a consistent one that I've heard on my radio show and in discussions with parents for years, especially those who are stuck with inner-city schools with decrepit buildings that lack critical resources.

And for the past 20 years, one of the most talked-about solutions is for parents stuck in dead-end, failing schools to have the option to use vouchers to allow them to send their children somewhere they could get quality educations.

Republicans have made vouchers a linchpin of their education overhaul initiatives. Democrats steadfastly have refused, saying it would take vital dollars out of the public school system.

This year's presidential candidates are lining up right along with their parties. Sen. John McCain, the GOP nominee, says vouchers are the right way to go to give parents an option for a better education, while Sen. Barack Obama says the GOP has talked and talked about vouchers and it hasn't amounted to much more.

But part of the reason vouchers have been denounced and dismissed is Democrats have been far too obstinate on the issue. They're not listening to their constituents, especially African-Americans, who overwhelmingly support vouchers.

There is no doubt that on this issue, McCain has it right, and Obama has it wrong.

The fundamental problem with the voucher debate is that it is always seen as an either/or proposition. For Republicans, it is the panacea to all the educational woes, and that is nonsensical.

For Democrats, they say it will destroy public education, and that, too, is a bunch of crap.

I fundamentally believe that vouchers are simply one part of the entire educational pie. There is no surefire way to educate a child. We've seen public schools do a great job (I went to them from kindergarten through college) along with private schools, home schooling, charter schools and even online initiatives. This is the kind of innovation we need, not more efforts to prevent a worthy idea from moving forward.

Obama's opposition is right along the lines of the National Education Association, and the teachers union is a reliable and powerful Democratic ally. But this is one time he should have opposed them and made it clear that vouchers can force school districts, administrators and teachers to shape up or see their students shipping out.

It is unconscionable to ask parents to watch as their children are stuck in failing schools and ask them to bank on politicians coming up with more funds to improve the situation. Fine, call vouchers a short-term solution to a long-term problem, but I rather would have a child getting the best education now than having to hope and pray down the line.

McCain and Obama have presented comprehensive education plans, and those are noble. But leaving out vouchers does a tremendous disservice to the parents who are fed up with deplorable schools, and it allows school districts to operate with impunity and without any real competition.

Roland S. Martin is an award-winning CNN contributor and the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith." Please visit his Web site at www.RolandSMartin.com. To find out more about Roland S. Martin and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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