School vouchers need accountability
Attorney Glenn Delk makes a plea for a widespread voucher program (“Give parents $8K and a choice,” Opinion, July 27). He proposes the state hand over to parents what it spends on education and let parents be responsible for their kids getting the quality education required by law.
There are three problems. First, there is no accountability for how tax funds are spent. Second, there are no benchmarks to measure how effectively the recipients of these funds educate students; private school students don’t take the same tests for a meaningful comparison of student achievement. And third, inevitably, the bulk of these funds go to religious education — a clear violation of the separation of church and state.
A better solution is to provide real school choice in the form of public charter schools and charter clusters. The Druid Hills Charter Cluster proposal rejected by DeKalb is a perfect example of the type of transformation that can be accomplished and avoid the inherent problems with a voucher system. We also need to deconstruct large failing systems and create smaller, more responsive and more efficient school systems — or consolidate small rural systems that lack the critical mass needed to provide the wide range of quality educational programs students must have in today’s world.
ROBERT WITTENSTEIN, DUNWOODY
‘Do not call’ losing its effectiveness
For years, I have received myriad unsolicited telephone calls, but the funniest is “Bridget” informing me she has a very important message about my credit card interest rates. The funny thing is, I don’t have any credit card debt, and I have not over the course of my life ever paid interest because I pay them off as they come in. There are many other callers with helpful information — all scammers, of course. I have reported them to the “Do Not Call” program, but nothing happens. I am crippled, and getting to the phone is not that easy most of the time. Sometimes, I wonder why we even have a government, if it is powerless.
RALEIGH C. PERRY, BUFORD
Guns hold America hostage
Until we decide all lives matter and really do something to stop the proliferation of guns, we will continue to suffer from the malady of the Second Amendment. Laws exist, but unfortunately, too many are not enforced or adhered to. No one wants to buck the NRA, so we continue to have slaughters almost on a weekly basis. Fearless leaders have to come forward and lead us to a place where the mentally impaired and the terrorist are not able to so easily acquire and use guns. We are in grave danger of being the leader in the world of too many deaths due to the easy accessibility of guns by so many people.
DAVID CLARKE, BUFORD
