What are the opposing arguments for vouchers?
One central argument against vouchers is that they violate the first amendment, specifically the separation of church and state. Private schools are predominantly religous institutions, which makes any government funding to these schools a violation of the first amendment. (Bolick, 2008). Opponents also argue that there is no need for school vouchers because public schools are generally on equal footing with private schools. When completing the same coursework, opponents say that students perform equally in both institutions. Because of this, they argue that there is no need for the public to send any child to a private school. Another argument is that the voucher program will drain money from the schools that need it most, and public schools may become dumping schools for the difficult to handle (Costrell, 2009).
