Wichita Eagle, Tuesday, May 30, 2000
A new twist for school vouchers: private funding

The proposed CEO Kansas program would give scholarships to low-income
children.

By Julie Mah
The Wichita Eagle

To Cindy Duckett, it's about choice. Not about private schools vs. public schools. Or conservative vs. liberal.

Every parent should have the right to choose where their child attends school, says the longtime Wichita education activist.

That's why she is launching CEO Kansas, a program modeled after others nationally that would give poor families money to help send their children to private schools.

"When I look at a child, I don't see a public school student. I don't see a private school student," she said. "I see a kid. I think we serve them all."

Duckett said she hopes to raise enough money by the end of summer, with the program beginning this fall.

Supporters say the concept works, pointing to waiting lists of thousands of children nationwide, but critics say it's the precursor to publicly funded vouchers.

Duckett's program would be funded with private dollars, so nearly 300 letters have been sent to philanthropists, business leaders, educators and others, inviting them to an informational meeting next month. The program is seeking federal tax-exempt, nonprofit status.

Wichita Superintendent Winston Brooks said he is withholding any public endorsement of Duckett's program. "If private industry has extra change in their pockets, that they're wanting to give away, then I'm going to want it.

"I will be just as aggressive in obtaining private donations for the public schools and the students ... as they will be on the other side."

The program is patterned after similar ones across the country -- in San Antonio, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Denver, Milwaukee, New York City, Miami and many other cities. Some have existed since 1992. They are under the umbrella of the Children's Educational Opportunity Foundation of America, based in Bentonville, Ark.

In Chattanooga, Tenn., a majority of parents involved with its CEO program say their children are performing better, said J.C. Bowman, president of CEO Foundation of Chattanooga.

"What we hope is that it also sparks improvement in public schools," he said.

The programs offer scholarships -- sometimes called privately funded vouchers -- for low-income families. Following federal income guidelines for the free- and reduced lunch program, CEO Kansas will pay a portion of tuition, with a $1,500 cap, Duckett says. Parents must also help pay.

But Brooks, the Wichita superintendent, says scholarships must be large enough to cover the total tuition.

For example, if tuition at a private school is going to cost $4,500 a year, and a scholarship will only pay $1,500, then a "family isn't going to have $3,000 to make up the difference," he said.

Duckett has contacted private schools in the Wichita area and many are willing to work with her, she said, to possibly reduce tuition.

Families would be chosen by lottery, and the scholarships would be for first- through 12th-graders. There would be no academic requirements to enter or stay in the program.

Families who live in Wichita-area ZIP codes would be allowed to apply. But the school they want to send their child could be anywhere in the state, Duckett said.

"If a parent in a Wichita ZIP code wants to send their child to St. John's Military School in Salina, that's fine with me," she said.

Yolonda Smith, a Wichita parent of two, discovered CEO America's Web site on the Internet a year ago, and is glad that Duckett is trying to start a program.

"I think it's a great thing," said Smith, who sends her two children to Wichita's Holy Savior School with the help of a national scholarship program for low-income families.

Public schools can also be a part of the mix, Duckett said. If someone who lives in the Maize school district, for example, wants to attend East High's IB program, she doesn't have a problem with helping with tuition costs, she said.

Bob Voboril, superintendent of schools in the Wichita Catholic Diocese, supports, in concept, Duckett's proposal.

"If we can find a way to make it possible for low-income kids to afford tuition at a religious or private school, then I think that's a good thing," he said.

Many of the Catholic schools are full, Voboril said, but some in the heart of Wichita are not, such as Holy Savior. "If we have room, I'd be glad to welcome anybody."

He added that the program should not be construed as a bashing of public schools.

Duckett said she hopes the program sets the stage for healthy competition between public and private schools.

"If you have enough money, you can exercise choice today," she said. "If you don't, you cannot. I don't think that's fair."

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Julie Mah writes about education. She can be reached by e-mail at jmah@wichitaeagle.com or at 268-6378.