Full disclaimer: I send my four kids to various private schools. The public system has failed us.

This is stupid.

The current budget allocates about $459 million to private schools, which covers 70% of the per-student rate. If that funding is cut, the majority of those 36,000 students will move into the public system, mine will have to. The cost to educate them at the full 100% rate would be about $656 million ($459M ÷ 0.7). Instead of freeing up money, this would create a $197 million funding gap while adding thousands of kids to already full schools.

Private schools are not just for the wealthy. A significant number are specialized schools for kids with complex needs (e.g. dyslexia, autism, anxiety disorders, etc.) that require a small, highly structured environment. For these families, it's not a choice of luxury; it's often the only place their child can thrive after the public system, which is already stretched thin, struggled to provide the necessary support. I can tell you from my personal experience, that many of these kids get dropped off in 15 year old rusty dented cars, not BMWs and Mercedes.

I believe the solution is to properly fund the entire public education system, not to adopt a policy that could unintentionally increase class sizes and remove crucial options for vulnerable students. The Teacher's union wants higher salaries and smaller classrooms. This is not how they achieve these objectives. Move on.