This only gives regionaly numbers and I suspect that my sample was a bit unrepresentative given what I’m seeing here, but even so, the increase in funding necessary is not trivial. I would guess that the percentages for California are going to be more closely tracked by the “Northeast” number than the “West” number as the vast expanses of the non-coastal west don’t easily support large numbers of private schools.

(A bit more googling shows that state-wide we had about 10% of California’s population in private school in 2000-2001.). But even if we go with the lowest numbers, there’s still a sizable subsidy to education that comes into play with the private school students.

That said, my big concern about any sort of scheme which sends money to private schools has nothing to do with religion or exclusion but a simple question: Whence will the money come? Right now every parent who sends their child to a private school is subsidizing public education by eliminating the state’s obligation to cover the incremental cost of their child’s attendence. This is a HUGE hidden subsidy to public education and I think that many voucher proponents are disingenuous in ignoring it.

I would also so that the majority of schools are of a religious nature. They are also restrictive in that way as well. They want to make sure that parents and kids attending the school want to be taught with a religious framework that matches the philosophy of the school.

Again, funding would provide the means to accept more students. It could also conceivably entice the rise of schools designed specifically to meet the needs of special needs children. Wouldn’t that be wonderful if parents of Special Needs kids had a choice to attend a school that met all the needs their child.