Education researchers are scrambling to get a sense of just who would be eligible for the governor’s proposal on school vouchers. A Vanderbilt expert says most of the impact would be felt in Memphis.
The proposal before lawmakers would let poor kids in failing public schools use taxpayer money to pay private tuition. 69 of the state’s 83 lowest ranking schools are in Memphis.
“Memphis is ground zero.”
Vanderbilt Professor Claire Smrekar says she and a grad student are now figuring out how many kids in the city might qualify, and which private schools might take them. Smrekar says vouchers could pull lots of money out of a district in the midst of a litigious merger, with a budget gap tens of millions wide.
“Memphis might be presented with even fewer resources and deeper struggles as a result of the voucher program. I’m not suggesting that’s a definite reality, but a potential problem that needs to be addressed.”
If passed, vouchers would start this fall with up to five thousand students. Smrekar hopes to have some preliminary data ready next month, to help inform the discussion.
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