The November 2000 election is less than a year away, but will likely include on the ballot the most contentious issue since the legalization of assisted suicide. A petition drive is underway to allow parents to receive a voucher to help pay for their child's education at any school of their choosing -- public or private. I believe this will do little to improve educational offerings and schools. Indeed, I am convinced that passage of a voucher plan will not only water down our public schools, but will also bring new regulations which will anger voucher backers.

On the surface, vouchers may seem appealing. Most people like the idea of having choices, rather than only one option to consider. After all, we choose whether to patronize McDonald's or Burger King. We choose which college to attend and where to submit a job application. Choice has become the American way. That's what supporters are counting on to collect the signatures -- and later the votes -- to secure passage in November.

But with choices come responsibilities. And when the state is involved, new rules are sure to follow. So let's look a little closer at the implications of vouchers.

The push for vouchers has drawn together a group of conservative Republicans -- many of whom are from the western part of Michigan -- and Detroit inner-city Democrats. The coalition is unusual because they have unified for different reasons. Some are supporting the drive purely for reasons of choice, while others have completely given up on public education, believing the problems they see in their schools are so severe they cannot be corrected.

It is interesting to note that the Republican Party is split on the issue. Governor Engler surprised many when he announced his opposition to the ballot proposal in November. In fact, many of my colleagues and I in the legislature believe that the Governor's push to increase the number of charter schools in Michigan was specifically designed to defuse the voucher effort. The reasoning is that if universities can charter more schools, there will be greater choice, more space for students who want to attend a different school, and therefore less need for vouchers. It was a stunning defeat for the Governor when he was unable to get the charter cap lifted, despite two weeks of intense negotiations, before the legislative Christmas break.

Despite his stance, I feel certain that enough signatures will be collected to bring the issue to voters in November. Therefore it is imperative that citizens carefully explore the implications of a state with vouchers between now and then. My opposition to vouchers is two-fold.

As I mentioned before, choice resonates with most people. But what does that choice actually do? If there is a problem with a particular school which is so extreme that parents move their child to another school, it only solves the problem for that one family. Certainly the impact on the family in question is significant, but in the long run, choice has done nothing to fix the problem itself.

The reality is that most people are relatively satisfied with the school their child attends. There has been no mass exodus of students since our current schools of choice law went into effect. But there have been "winners" and "losers." Locally, Madison has benefited -- becoming one of the fastest growing schools in the area. Adrian, meanwhile, has been hurt -- losing more students to other districts than any other school in the county.

If vouchers are approved, I see the potential for all our public schools to suffer. Again, there will probably be no mass exodus. But every student who leaves represents some $5600 (or more) to that school district. The departure of only a few will equal a teacher's salary, even though not enough have left to make it feasible to lay off a teacher. This hurts our schools dramatically. Boards of education are already crafting tight budgets and will face further constraints in the future.

I believe we should focus less on creating new choices and more on making our current schools "choice schools." If our schools have problems, let's focus on making them better, rather than running away. Sadly, the legislature has done a good job of ignoring needed solutions. We know that such things as a lower student-to-teacher ratio helps improve learning. But the Senate removed language from the K-12 budget which would have helped address that. We know that school infrastructure needs to be improved. But some of the proposed bills to provide funding for that don't go far enough. The state still owes millions to the schools for under funding special education. The proposed solution? Make the payment from the school aid fund, thus cutting revenues from that source. There is a $500 million surplus in that fund, but no movement to use it to improve our schools.

Of course, not all problems can or should be addressed by the state. Many of them should be handled on the local level, as parents, teachers, students, and administrators work together to find innovative ways to make the school a model for the community.

If the use of vouchers becomes law, private schools will be the main beneficiaries. And let me make it clear: I am not opposed to private schools. They have unique offerings which are attractive to some. Chief among these is religious education. Parents may find this to be an important part of their child's schooling. And they certainly should have the right to that access if they send the child to a church-based private school. For many of the voucher backers, this is the central issue: making it less costly for them to give their child a faith-based education.

But here's the catch.

Private schools can provide this unique offering because the state has to stay "hands-off." The legislature can't pass laws dictating their operations because these schools don't get state aid. But I am convinced that vouchers will completely change that. Mark my words, if we have vouchers, the legislature will start telling private schools what they can and cannot do. When state dollars start flowing to private schools, state regulations are sure to follow. And I don't think most people want to see that happen.

This past year has demonstrated how quickly the state can meddle in local school affairs. The legislature decided that the way to fix Detroit schools was to remove a duly-elected school board and prevent the district residents from having any say in the board make-up for at least five years. And when the reform board was unable to unanimously choose a CEO (as the bill had required), lawmakers were asked to change the wording so the deadline for making the selection could be met.

And despite being defeated several times, the push continued to force schools to close on the Friday before Labor Day until the votes finally materialized. The bill had nothing to do with education and everything to do with tourism.

Backers of vouchers will insist that the state won't impose its will on private schools. But when public tax dollars are at issue, you can bet it won't take long for the legislature to get involved. And I believe that involvement will be to the detriment of private education. All it takes is 56 votes in the House, 20 in the Senate, and the Governor's backing.

Even if my prior arguments are rejected, there remains one major question. Is the proposed voucher plan constitutional? Court rulings have varied from state to state in places where vouchers have been adopted. Not all voucher plans are alike, and judges have formed differing opinions. I predict a long legal battle will loom in Michigan if voters say yes to vouchers. This will only leave children unsure what school they will be attending and cause upheaval for all districts involved.

I think it is far better to work within the existing structure of our schools -- both public and private -- to develop ways to provide the highest quality of education possible for our students. This will involve using up-to-date technology and textbooks, helping districts replace aging buildings, providing adequate opportunities for teacher enrichment, and finding innovative ways to help our children learn.

Vouchers are not the way to respond to these issues. Bringing people together to explore the best methods for accomplishing them is.