Where’s the data? Taxpayers need proof school vouchers are improving poor kid’s lives.

Vouchers

I would like to see the data that shows whether more poor children are attending high quality, academically rigorous schools as a result of the voucher program. Also, are the most popular private K-12 schools raising their tuition in order to continue to exclude poor children by nullifying the benefit of vouchers?

And how many more poor children using vouchers for private K-12 education are, as a result, prepared for (and accepted into) academically competitive colleges?

If diverting my taxes from public schools to vouchers isn’t producing results that improve poor children’s futures, then we need to drop the program. If it is, then we need to see the data.

Kate Clarkson, Wake Forest

NC schools

As North Carolina celebrates Apple’s growth in the Triangle, public school supporters like me hope the same zeal is shown by state government in investing in the apples of our eyes — students.

As a mom of two elementary-aged students, I care deeply about ensuring we’re recruiting and retaining the best educators. As a public school teacher, I know relying on intelligent idealists to sacrifice their own financial self-interests is reaching a breaking point.

We need more counselors, nurses, psychologists and social workers so we can be proactive instead of reactive in supporting healthy development.

We need to return full-time teaching assistants to our earliest grades and offer at least $15 per hour to all those supporting student learning. We need a teacher salary schedule that values veteran educators, instead of one that incentivizes 15-year contract workers by flattening salaries after that.

I look forward to state leaders celebrating investment in our schools as much as they do landing 3,000 Apple jobs.

Kim Mackey, Fuquay-Varina

County budget

Regarding “Wake County’s proposed budget gives increases to schools system, public safety, county workers,” (May 5):

I like the fact that this budget shows how growth pays for itself. There will be no property tax increase because revenues increased.

I congratulate County Manager David Ellis, his fine staff and all of our county commissioners on a job well done.

I hope Raleigh’s proposed budget has no property tax increase and that the housing bond and proposed parks bond can be paid from increased revenues. I mean if we can afford to give developers 5% of their property taxes to help them meet their obligations, surely this largess can come from the increase in revenues.

Borrow some budget ideas from the county, why don’t you.

Dan Coleman, Raleigh

Sen. Tim Scott

Columnist Kathleen Parker posits “Liberals just cannot handle a Black conservative.” (May 5 Opinion) U.S. Sen. Tim Scott’s race does not befuddle liberals. What baffles them is that he espouses conservatism that these days seems stuck in the 19th century.

John W. Hinshaw, Raleigh

Tax endowments?

I take issue with Henry Olsen’s “So you want to tax the rich? OK, let’s start with Harvard.” (April 29 Opinion) This false argument is regularly trotted out by the right.

Universities, arts organizations and other U.S. nonprofits require large endowments to help offset operating costs, since, unlike in most of the other industrialized nations, they are left to fend for themselves. The interest income from those large endowments substitutes for that missing federal support.

To say that Harvard is sitting on a huge pile of cash that should be taxed is to willfully misunderstand the importance of an endowment in keeping the institution running, providing financial assistance to students, top professor compensation, maintenance and more.

Tuition alone can’t meet the costs, just as ticket sales can’t for an orchestra. Taxing endowments would only put all universities and arts organizations deeper in the red.

James Orleans, Chapel Hill

The wrong lesson

The Florida principal who brutally paddled the 6-year-old student did a good job of teaching violence to the little girl. The teacher should try love rather than the paddle.

Dr. Assad Meymandi, Raleigh

Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, UNC School of Medicine