What middle class?

There is one, but it is small now. Something like half the nation makes 40k per year.

That 40k has to do

Housing
Food
Transport
Health care

Add paying private tuition?

Most will end up in what remains of public education or any number of very mixed bag charter schools.

So we will have thrown wrenches into what was pretty great public education for almost everyone, declare it isn't working (no surprise there), to achieve a market system that will deliver spotty education?

The whole thing is a net loss, if you ask me.

I would and never have opposed high end or specialized private education for those who can afford such things.

Denying what is probably the majority of Americans a solid education to expand on that just does not seem to make sense.

Worse, doing that is failure to invest in our own future. That spotty education will have a direct impact and already has.

Funding public education can be done, and should be done. And when it is propely funded, educators are not larded down with too many mamdatory requirements, stripped of the agency needed to do it right, works well.

Worked well enough to advance our nation very considerably, I should add.

Couple that mess with essentially 4 decades of flat wages taking us from one family member being able to provide reasonably to both parents working full time plus, which shifts a lot of problems onto schools increasingly unable to deal with them, and it is no wonder the future looks grim.

You say public schools should only be for those unable to afford it.

Ok, that is rapidly becoming a majority of people.

Which is it?

People earn enough to invest in the young people who are our future and who will take care of us in our old age

, or

Make it a public investment, anyone is free to augment, given they have means.

The fact is, public education only works well at scale.

We either fund it and get the benefit and security that comes along with a well educated population, or we don't.

This nation was built by people attending great public schools and colleges. The more we have stepped away from that, the less we have gained.

And there is already inexcusable student debt for college. How much do we want to bet that same thing happens in a sea of private primary education schools all looking to make money first, educate second? Charters already do that with super inconsistent, meaning generally worse overall outcomes, now.

Low odds on that one.

And they will make money first no matter what. That is what business does. No blame, no shame just facts.

Public education is about education, not making money.

I have just not seen the benefit overall, just some people getting better for their money while a lot of others get a whole lot worse.

And causing all of that so very wealthy people can get or do what they could just do anyway?

Laughable. Seriously.

Had I the means you brought up, trust me, educating my kids properly would be no problem, and it would be no problem while easily contributing my share to public education so my better educated kids grow into a competent, well educated, civic minded society they would likely be able to earn more than their share of wealth from.

Nice problems to have compared to the growing mess now.

Very nice problems.