Public Dollars, Private Schools: Examining the Options in Missouri

“Isn’t that just a voucher?” I often hear that question when I discuss enabling students to use public dollars to attend private schools. This question is an attempt to do two things: (1) lump all forms of state-supported private school choice programs into one group and (2) dismiss these programs with a word that to some has a negative connotation. Labeling all programs that give students the ability to attend a private school with state money a “voucher” may be an effective rhetorical device, but it obfuscates the important distinctions that exist between different types of programs. Even worse, it ignores the potential benefits private school choice programs can bring to students and the state.