If it costs $12000 a year to educate a K-12 student, why shouldn't that money be spent as the PARENTS?

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!

Parents should be able to chose how their tax dollars are allocated in regards to educating their children. What is funny, in the limited areas which do allow for this, those students who participate in school choice do far better than their public school peers, for far less money.

It basically all boils down to the fact that apathetic parents do not wish the children of others to have opportunities they are too lazy to secure for their own children.

Who would decide how a child gains admittance to a private school? Would the private schools be forced to accept their fair share of underprivileged, behavior problem and disabled children? How would this be enforced? By government? By the Free Market Schools? What about transportation? What about the private schools that charge more than $12K? Force them to accept $12K? (I challenge you to try that!)

As things stand now, the private schools accept better students, and tuition is about $10K. Can you imagine those schools taking on all the problems the public schools face for just an average of $2,000 per pupil?

Also, $12K is an average amount per child. The government could determine how much it costs to educate YOUR child. Suppose it's less than $12K? Should one student get more than another? Be careful how you answer. These are not facile issues. You could have a disabled child. How would you feel then?

Then there would be another problem: If the government(s) started handing out $12k or so to each member of a family to do with as they wish, some families would get some pretty sizable checks. Can you imagine the gossip if some home-schooling mother suddenly bought a new sports car?

Next we'd have people screaming that, if they have no children, they shouldn't have to contribute to this whole mess. They pay their taxes to support public education. This is already an ongoing mantra of many childless and/or private school supporters.

You are opening a can of worms.

The Free Market Schools would love it (without your caveats of course); it would be a windfall for them - but an end of universal education for America.

The public school system needs fixing, not annihilation.

Very simple it's corruption. Obama and the democrats are all about keeping Unions happy.

There aren't many private schools I know of (if any) that can provide a 12-k type education.

I think Public schools just to need be heavily reformed. The Union needs to brought under control.

Ia gree I raised my children and educated them in private schools but still had to pay property taxes to pay for the inept education and indoctrination force fed by the public school system, it is all a UNION scam in my view, extortion is what I think it is, no one has a right to an education, at least I cant find it in the constitution

Because most of that "cost" is bureaucracy .

It isnt much better for private schools.. I have my son in a boarding school now, because he needs the specialized education, and its running me $46K a year..

Where I think the problem is in public schools, is that they cannot take the time to teach the special kid, lest they bring the whole class down, and then NO ONE gets a good education...

Understand me sincerely here Jimbo...Public schools have their place... but you cannot expect gold from a salt mine. The parents DO have a choice, except that choice costs $$. I'll pay dearly for what my kid ends up with... and i feel sorry for those in the same boat, but they dont have the $$ to get their kid OUT....

They want equal sharing of miseries with the lack of a proper education just to satisfy the unions.

The public school I went to gave me a great education. I know almost everyone in my graduating class got a diploma.

That is a waist of money. And that is not the most expensive public schoool. Please excuse My spellliig, I went to a public school.

There is no reason that it shouldn't be. The government uses that money to keep government school students ignorant..