atlantic city<u+2014>with new jersey<u+2019>s gambling hub reeling from financial distress, its public schools had nearly $20 million in budget cuts last year and laid off more than 200 teachers. now, the atlantic city district faces a new challenge: a ballot question will ask voters whether to give vouchers to parents that could allow them to use tax dollars for private-school tuition. another question asks if home-schoolers should get a special credit on their property-tax bill. the state<u+2019>s largest teachers union has gone on the attack. it says vouchers would drain money from public schools and crush morale among teachers who are doing their best while the city suffers from casino closures and job losses. supporters of vouchers say families deserve choices, and more competition would force improvements in a school system that serves about 7,200 children. atlantic city<u+2019>s graduation rate of 74% in 2015 was one of the state<u+2019>s lowest. it lagged behind some high-poverty cities but fared better than others, including newark and camden. the nov. 8 ballot questions aren<u+2019>t binding. it isn<u+2019>t clear how<u+2014>or whether<u+2014>state or local authorities would launch a voucher system if approved. no new jersey towns offer vouchers, and efforts to pass a statewide voucher bill floundered for decades. gov. chris christie, a republican, has pushed for voucher-style tax credits for companies that donate scholarships to private schools. opponents argue that using public resources to support religious schools<u+2014>a primary beneficiary<u+2014>would violate the constitutional separation of church and state. the campaign is heated. <u+201c>don<u+2019>t let them bankrupt our public schools,<u+201d> pleads one flier asking residents to vote <u+201c>no<u+201d> to both questions. its backdrop shows the glittering image of the trump taj mahal casino, which shut down this month after years of losses. a post card from the new jersey education association warns, <u+201c>don<u+2019>t gamble with our children<u+2019>s future.<u+201d> choice media, an advocacy organization that supports vouchers and frequently criticizes teachers unions, is promoting its youtube video that shows atlantic city parents who back vouchers. a leading booster is jesse kurtz, the lone republican on the city council, who persuaded his council colleagues to put the two questions on the ballot in a unanimous vote in august. he said parents deserve options, and offering vouchers worth $10,000 a child would save money in a district that spends far more than that on each student. atlantic city spent $26,634 per pupil in 2014-15, including pensions, transportation costs and capital outlays, according to state data. the state average was $19,652. atlantic city exceeded the per-pupil spending in many cities, such as newark and trenton, but trailed others, such as asbury park. mr. kurtz said if some students use vouchers, classes in public schools would be smaller and teachers could focus more on each child. he envisions the district sending quarterly payments directly to private schools, which would have to be accredited. <u+201c>if motivated parents find themselves in a situation of poverty, trapped into one option and one option only,<u+201d> he said, <u+201c>shouldn<u+2019>t we be giving them a lifeline instead of protecting a system or a contract?<u+201d> critics dispute his financial calculations. they say if enrollment drops, the district could lose state aid, and there wouldn<u+2019>t be great savings unless enough children left to cut staff members or close schools. further, some vouchers would likely go to children already in private school, adding a new taxpayer burden. marcia genova, president of the atlantic city education association, said vouchers are a <u+201c>false promise<u+201d> that wouldn<u+2019>t cover the full cost of private tuition in some schools. <u+201c>don<u+2019>t try to bribe<u+201d> voters, she said. she noted that mr. kurtz, whose six children are home-schooled, would benefit from the tax credit for home-schoolers. mr. kurtz said each family that home schools would get one $10,000 tax credit, not that sum for each child, and even with that tax credit, he would save the city some $150,000 a year by not enrolling his children when all are school aged. john devlin, president of the school board, worried vouchers would deepen the pain in a district that has struggled financially. state education officials appointed a fiscal monitor last year to find savings as the tax base shrank. the district<u+2019>s operating budget was cut to $148 million this year, from $166 million two years earlier. have something to say about an article in greater new york? email us, along with your contact information, at gnyltrs@wsj.com . letters will be edited for brevity and clarity. please include your city and state. mr. devlin said he wants the school board to pass a resolution monday opposing the ballot questions, even though he would benefit from vouchers as a private-school parent. <u+201c>the vast majority of my constituents oppose it,<u+201d> he said. marianna gonzalez, mother of a junior at atlantic city high school, said she would vote no on the home schooling tax credit but isn<u+2019>t sure how she would vote on vouchers. <u+201c>on the one hand, how you choose to educate your kid is up to you,<u+201d> she said. <u+201c>on the other hand, if we give all this money to outside schools what are we left with?<u+201d> write to leslie brody at leslie.brody@wsj.com
school vouchers and home-schooling tax credit are on atlantic city ballot  - wsj
leslie brody