A lot has been said about school choice lately, on both the national and state levels.

On its face, who is against choice? My parents sent me and my four siblings to 12 years of Catholic school. They also insisted on living in a town that prioritized education, even though it meant higher taxes than some of the surrounding communities. They wanted neighbors and peers who believed in the importance of quality education.

So, my parents paid twice.

According to New Hampshire statute, “It is the policy of the state of N.H. that public elementary and secondary education shall provide all students with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare them for successful participation in the social, economic, scientific, technological and political systems of a free government, now and in the years to come; and education that is consistent with the minimum standards for public school approval, the state-established academic standards, and school district or school curriculum.”

It goes on to say, “Respecting New Hampshire’s long tradition of community involvement, it is the purpose of this chapter to ensure that appropriate means are established to provide an adequate education through an integrated system of shared responsibility between state and local government.”

Here is where choice becomes an issue for me.

The citizens of Concord are taxed by the city of Concord and by the state of New Hampshire to collect funds that are used for education. The education is determined primarily by the school board, which must adhere to local, state and federal laws. According to state law, the school board meetings must be open to the public.

Every meeting has two opportunities for community input. The first, early in the meeting, for comments on the agenda, and the second at the end of the meeting, for comment on anything. Few people avail themselves of this opportunity, but some do. People also send emails, letters and make phone calls to let board members know their thoughts on a wide variety of issues, from things like the curriculum, sports teams, the board’s own communication with the public, etc.

When state dollars are used for choice, usually in the form of vouchers, there is no longer a method for taxpayers to provide input.

In simple parlance, this is taxation without representation.

Citizens pay their taxes, but they cannot write letters or emails, attend meetings or make phone calls to families who home-school their children, or to private schools to be sure their tax dollars are providing an education that they approve.

Here in Concord, school board members are elected. If voters do not approve of what they are doing, they can be voted out in the next election. How do taxpayers do the same for the other types of schools?

Choice is important in all aspects of life. And families are able to choose from a wide variety of options for educating their children, from unregulated home-schooling, to religious schools, prestigious private schools, charter schools and more. Those options can cost money. Many, if not most private schools, have scholarship options, and many, if not most, also have restrictions on who can attend.

Some schools, even religious schools, exclude students whose special needs require expensive management. No one is excluded from public schools.

(Maureen Redmond-Scura lives in Concord.)