Second, most private schools cost much less than $10,000. Unfortunately, the US DOE stopped collecting systematic data on private school tuition after 1999-2000. (Why? Beats me, but if I had to guess, I’d start with the fact that it’s really embarrassing for the education establishment that public schools spend much more per student than private schools charge in tuition yet do a substantially poorer job. But I digress.) Back in 1999-2000 the average private school tuition was something like $5,500. With inflation – thanks a million for the weak dollar, Dubya – that’s going to be higher now, but it’s not going to be $10,000. So, bottom line, even Cleveland’s cheaper-than-Benny-Hill-during-a-recession voucher is going to get you roughly halfway to paying tuition at an average private school. A working-class family that can’t pay $6,000 in tuition may be able to pay $2,550. And of course, a lot of private schools will charge less than the average tuition – that’s why it’s an average. Plus, most private schools provide scholarships for low-income students and/or charge tuition on a sliding scale by income.

Third, all the empirical evidence shows that vouchers produce less social stratification in schools, not more, because they break the connection between where you live and where you go to school. Google my report “Freedom from Racial Barriers” to see a rundown of the empirical studies on this subject.