My plan is this. The Department of Education now spends around $13,000 dollars per year per pupil. This figure is obtained by dividing the Department's budget by the number of New York City children in the public schools, around 1.1 million.

I propose we offer parents an inducement of half that amount, $6,500 per year, to take their child out of public school, relieving the school system of the expense of educating that child, and educate the child elsewhere, such as private or parochial school, or home schooling. For each child who accepts the offer, the taxpayer would save $6,500. If 1,000 children accept, the taxpayer would save $6,500,000. If 10,000 children accept, the taxpayer would save $65,000,000. If 50,000 accept, the taxpayer saves $325,000,000. We wouldn't give the parent $6,500 cash, but instead some kind of coupon that could be redeemed for educational purposes.

Almost everyone benefits. Parents get to choose their child's school, based on their preferences and the needs of the child. Children get a better education. Teachers are freed from the bureaucracy and restrictions of the Department of Education when they change jobs to work at the new private schools that would spring up to accommodate the thousands of new customers.

The only ones who don't benefit are those who have an interest in keeping children prisoners in bad schools where neither they nor their parents want them to be.

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