Private school leaders don't expect voucher system soon

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Some private school leaders say they don&#39;t expect an immediate push for a school voucher program in Alabama now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled some public school students can use a voucher to attend a private or religious school. <br> <br> Opposition to vouchers by public schools advocates and resistance to government regulations by private school officials will likely prevent a voucher program from becoming a reality any time soon, they say. <br> <br> &#34;There are still powerful forces out there that don&#39;t like competition and like advocating the status quo,&#34; said Robin Means, executive director of the Alabama Christian Education Association. <br> <br> The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 last week that tuition vouchers are constitutional. The decision allows taxpayer money to underwrite tuition at private or parochial schools if parents have a wide choice of where to send their children. <br> <br> John Faircloth, director of the Alabama Independent Schools Association, said he doubted many private and religious schools would want the regulations that would likely be required of schools participating in a voucher program. <br> <br> Admissions policies, curriculum requirements and federal guidelines covering disabled students and gender-equality issues, could all come into play, he said. <br> <br> Faircloth also said the Alabama Education Association, the teachers&#39; union that is opposed to vouchers, would be a formidable roadblock even for a voucher program limited to students at poorly performing public schools. <br> <br> &#34;I&#39;m sure with AEA&#39;s legislative power, it would be very difficult to get something through the Legislature,&#34; he told The Huntsville Times in a story Sunday. <br> <br> Paul Hubbert, AEA&#39;s executive secretary, said public opinion surveys show strong opposition to vouchers if vouchers mean less money for public schools. <br> <br> Hubbert said voucher-participating schools could &#34;cherry-pick&#34; preferred students and leave public schools with the costly task of educating the rest. <br> <br> But John Giles, director of the Christian Coalition of Alabama, said the ruling offers hope to poor students in perpetually failing public schools who couldn&#39;t otherwise attend private schools. <br> <br> &#34;The day of children forced to receive a substandard education is over,&#34; Giles said. &#34;This ruling will help those committed to providing a quality education to flourish, and those settling for mediocrity will plummet.&#34; <br> <br> State School Board member Bradley Byrne, a Mobile attorney, said he expects the voucher debate will continue. <br> <br> &#34;But I don&#39;t think it&#39;s something we&#39;re going to be able to put into practice for three or four years,&#34; he told the Mobile Register. <br> <br> State Sen. vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, said her opposition to vouchers stems from concerns over the loss of state control in private and parochial schools. <br> <br> &#34;All these private schools can only hold so many children. And children will be left behind,&#34; the senator said last week. <br> <br>

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