OPINION: Ohio State Auditor Endorses School Choice

From Ohio State Auditor Dave Yost writing in Cincinnati.com:
School choice in Ohio has been a matter of political trench warfare for years. Some in my party make it seem like charter schools are the cure for every ill of public education. They’re not, of course, but they often do as well as or better than government-run schools.
On the other side of the trench are teacher unions and many Democrats who predict that school choice will be the end of public education. It’s not just their feet that are in concrete – it’s more of a cement straightjacket.
Both sides in the General Assembly are being asked to consider ways to expand school choice, and they should, because competition simply produces a better product for less cost. The cornerstone of our nation’s free market is competition, for that very reason.
The monopoly government-run schools have on education in Ohio has created some substantial failures. Expanding school choice will create the competition necessary to motivate all schools to provide cheaper, better education.
Airline deregulation is a perfect example of what competition can do for an industry. In the early 1970’s, few people could afford to jump on a plane and fly to a vacation destination. When greater competition was introduced between airlines, prices dropped drastically, allowing more to enjoy the benefits of air travel. Not every airline survived; the weak dropped off, but those who were innovative thrived.
Likewise, school choice creates a competitive environment that breeds better performance and greater efficiency as schools compete for students.
Governor Kasich in his proposed budget and Representative Matt Huffman (HB 136) are both asking for an increase in the number of available EdChoice Scholarships. The program is currently getting more requests for scholarships than are available. Parents seeking better educational opportunities for their children are turned away.
Nationally, studies show that voucher recipients graduate at a much higher rate than their non-voucher peers. The most recent study was conducted in Milwaukee by researchers at the University of Arkansas and shows 94 percent of students who participated in the school choice program graduated high school. The graduation rate in the Milwaukee public school system is 74.8 percent.
Read more here: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110523/EDIT02/105230301/Guest-column-School-choice-will-move-Ohio-forward