[fintstone]

Originally posted by CamB
It won't work fint - to get the "good" teachers, the "good" schools are going to have to pay them more. This will require more funding (ie, a top-up by parents on the average cost per student you want the govt to give you back for opting out).

This is just going to create a wider gap between elite and mediocre schools based on the wealth of the parents of children attending those schools - even wider than the current socio-economic gap that occurs.

You may think this is ok, but I don't. Education (at school level) is a public good, and I don't complain about what is spent on it out of my taxes.

Why don't you compare America's education spending (total govt spending) against military spending. That always staggers me...

So much money is wasted in public schools now that it would probably save money. When I worked with many different schools (hundreds)in the US as a Regional Director for admissions......I was suprised to see that the average cost per student was much higher in the worse schools...and generally lower in the private schools....and the scores were very much higher.
You assume that poor students are stupid and cost more to educate. I disagree.