The purpose of public education is so that everyone has access to quality education . It isn ' t to provide a flat credit to every family regardless of their own finances . The point isn ' t that the government is ready to foot some $ X bill for each student , it is that each student gets at least an $ X education . If you want some sort of specific education for your child , you should have to foot the bill . Otherwise you can send them to public school and they will get what everyone else gets . If you are affluent enough that private education is already an option , or would be with a subsidy , then why should the government be giving you even more money so that your children can be going to an even superior school when it could be going to families that are living paychecktopaycheck . Public education is a common good . It isn ' t supposed to be a earmarked cash payout . Instead of providing additional financial benefits for the affluent , we should be diverting the funds to raise the overall baseline .