Public education gets support.

In this century, as vouchers for private school get more play, evolution in science class grows even more controversial, and book banning remains, the need to support public education grows fiercer, according to M Donald Thomas.

Thomas, former superintendent of the Salt Lake City school district and former deputy superintendent for public accountability for South Carolina, has created Public Education Support Group. It's comprised of educational leaders aimed to support true public education.

"Superintendents these days have to make difficult decisions," says Thomas, who has had the idea to start the group for awhile. "There are a lot of conflicts when trying to do the right thing, but they are getting criticism from highly conservative groups."

The group will write letters to newspaper editors nationwide, appear at conferences, and speak at community groups in hopes to convince educators that public education is "the most vital service in a democratic society."

Thomas, who is the executive director, claims that vouchers for schools attempt to privatize public education and squeeze out poor people, who are unable to pay the difference for private schools. "If you privatize public education, you end up with two systems--one for the poor and one for the rich," Thomas says.

The Heritage Foundation, which supports school choice and accountability, disagrees, saying parents and children would benefit from choice. "We believe school choice policies will deliver on the promise of public education; that is, ensuring every child receives access to a high quality education," says Dan Lips, an education analyst who had not yet heard of the new support group. "School choice policies are a new way to deliver public education by giving parents the opportunity to chose from a variety of schools including public, private and charter schools."

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