The opponents of parental empowerment are spreading totally unfounded myths about School Choice in its various forms. Before you make up your mind, consider the factual rebuttal they don't want you to read: Myth #1 Providing funds for children to attend private schools will weaken the already under-funded public schools. THE TRUTH - New Jersey's public schools are hardly under-funded, and only approximately 40% of the money spent on education actually makes it to the classroom. With some children leaving the public systems for other schools that cost less per pupil, there should be even more money for traditional public schools. Myth #2 School Choice does not improve education. THE TRUTH - In Milwaukee, which has had school choice for 10 years, public school student performance on statewide standardized tests has risen steadily. Scores for every ethnic group in every subject have risen every year for 6 years. That's the power of competition! Myth #3 School Choice in unnecessary - public education is doing well and improving. THE TRUTH - The evidence is overwhelming that public education is not improving. Indeed, it is getting worse - even as school budgets rise. In the 3rd International Math & Sciences study of 21 nations, U.S. high school students ranked 16th in Science and 19th in Math and dead last in Physics. American business spends $60 Billion a year teaching high school graduates how to read and write. And, over the past 11 years, the number of companies forced to provide remedial education to employees rose 5 fold! All this holds true for New Jersey, as well. Just ask most parents if they think public schools are improving. Myth #4 School Choice allows the private schools accepting vouchers to choose which students it wants from among the pool or applicants, thus 'creaming' the public school population. THE TRUTH - In States where choice is available, private schools accepting voucher students must do so by random selection only. They also cannot consider disciplinary history, race, gender or religion when reviewing applicants. Traditional public schools, on the other hand, routinely 'cream' the student population through such devices as magnet schools, tracking and advanced placement. Myth #5 Parents will use the wrong criteria to choose schools, or they will make bad decisions for their children. THE TRUTH - This condescending assumption ignores evidence that poor or uneducated parents are just as capable of distinguishing between good and bad schools as anyone else. Competition will cause schools to put out more information about themselves so parents can become better-informed consumers. Myth #6 School Choice will encourage the creation of fraudulent schools. THE TRUTH - Laws already exist against fraud to protect consumers in all areas. What could be a worse fraud on consumers of education and on taxpayers than the failure of many traditional public schools, year after year. Myth #7 School Choice will lead to the social, racial and economic separation of students. THE TRUTH - The current public system already assigns students by where they live - which almost always separates them into social, racial and economic enclaves. Choice options such as public charter schools, private scholarships and public vouchers remove or reduce the importance of geography and political boundaries. Most inner-city private and charter schools are more diverse then their traditional public school counterparts. Myth #8 Public funding of schools with religious affiliations violates the constitutional ban against public support for such institutions. THE TRUTH - Wisconsin's Supreme Court ruled that Milwaukee's program of taxpayer-funded vouchers was constitutional because the parents, not the government, chose where the child went to school. And the U.S. Supreme Court voted 8 to 1 not to review that case, letting it stand. Also, public monies have, for decades, supported religiously-affiliated preschool programs and colleges through such programs as the G.I. Bill and Pell Grants. Myth #9 School Choice is just a subsidy for affluent suburbanites who already send their children to parochial and private schools. THE TRUTH - Most School Choice programs now in place around the country are limited to families with low incomes or families in poorly performing schools or districts, almost always in low-income areas. Affluent suburbanites are not eligible. In New Jersey, charter schools are not limited to low achieving districts, but most of those approved by the State are in urban areas. Myth #10 Private schools are unaccountable to the public. THE TRUTH - Private schools and parochial schools already must comply with government regulations on fire and safety, compulsory attendance and core curriculum. They are at least as accountable, by the government's own measures, as any traditional public school. Most important, they are directly accountable to parents, who can remove their children when the school does not perform. If we trust parents, we'll have real accountability. Myth #11 School Choice is an anti-teacher ploy. THE TRUTH - More choices for parents and students mean more choices for teachers. School Choice advocates know that there can be no good schools without good teachers. It's the teacher union bosses who oppose choice for fear of losing mandatory dues payments. They want to preserve the traditional public school monopoly because most charter schools and almost all private schools are not unionized. Many individual public school teachers already support choice for themselves. In the 100 largest cities in the U.S., public school teachers choose private schools for their own children at a higher rate than the general population. Myth #12 School Choice reforms do not address the needs of some families for special education. THE TRUTH - In School Choice programs elsewhere in the U.S., participating schools may not exclude any eligible student based on special education needs. Myth #13 Private schools will not be able to accommodate the influx of new students under a School Choice plan. THE TRUTH - Where School Choice exists, private school buildings that were closed for financial reasons are opening up again to accommodate new students. Over a reasonable period of time, the existence of school choice will attract education providers. Myth #14 School Choice programs siphon off the best students from traditional public schools, resulting in an overall decline in public school achievement. THE TRUTH - In School Choice districts, those opting out of the public schools tend to be those doing most poorly, not the best. The best students tend to be happy with the traditional public school and remain where they are doing well. 'Creaming' of the student population simply has not happened. We declare our willingness to support any and all changes in New Jersey's public schools that are consistent with these stated principles.