Prop. 13 Reform is the Next Step Towards Education Equity
When Gerald Hsu toured a San Francisco private school to decide whether to send his child to a $41,000/year private school or a public school where tuition is free, he found out something shocking. He discovered that the only real difference between most public and private schools in San Francisco is the amount of funding and resources they have. He discovered that these schools both have caring, high quality teachers; comparable acceptance levels to prestigious universities; and their prospects for success and happiness are similar. In fact, private schools often have less Advanced Placement courses and extracurricular programs have less students, and thus less options.
Private schools are essentially exclusive clubs with more resources than public schools. And they’re only available to families who can afford it. Private schools are less socioeconomically and racially diverse than public schools. Every student deserves to go to a school with sufficient funding and resources. Education must be equitable. Students who cannot afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on private school should receive the same quality education as those who can. Because of Prop. 13, our California public schools are severely underfunded. Private schools do not have this problem. Prop. 13 has exacerbated the inequities in our education system, and we need to reform it in order to ensure all our California students get the education they deserve.
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Do I send my kid to a private high school? I toured one in S.F. to see if it was worth it
By Gerald Hsu | SF Chronicle | November 13th, 2024