I agree access is important, and it's interesting to see public school unions fight against charter, magnet and private schools in order to restrict that access.
With that said, notice how the distribution of private schools per capita drops significantly in highly-rated public school districts. There's simply no demand for them.
The private-vs-public battle only plays out in low-rated school districts, with one party holding the distinct advantage of being un-fireable.
I'm not sure how this is related to my comment. With that said, I suspect that religion dwarfs any other factor driving the demand for private schools.
In my state, the union definitely does not oppose private schools, and the magnet high school in my district is a union shop. The union opposes the state's growing voucher school program, but proponents of vouchers talk in "access" terms while promoting a barely concealed sectarian agenda. So once again, religion is a driving factor. Meanwhile, the union has been barred from collective bargaining on "working conditions" that include things like tenure. So, the ways that public school teachers can be fired, is at the mercy of the state legislature right now.
So far the voucher schools have under-performed public schools in the same districts, despite being given advantages such as more latitude in hiring and firing, and the ability to reject handicapped kids.
With that said, notice how the distribution of private schools per capita drops significantly in highly-rated public school districts. There's simply no demand for them.
The private-vs-public battle only plays out in low-rated school districts, with one party holding the distinct advantage of being un-fireable.