In 1975, a famous and now retired columnist, Jimmy Breslin, coined the phrase, “smoke and mirrors”, once used by carnie people as slang for magic acts. The term now describes someone who intentionally deceives the public. Undoubtedly, the slang for magic acts applies today to the proponents of private school vouchers. Activists, such as Parents For Choice, are campaigning on a few perceived benefits of a voucher program. But, PFC has neglected to inform us about the problems vouchers have created in other states.For example, voucher proponents constantly use the “successes” of the Milwaukee voucher program. Unfortunately, those success stories have created some major problems. A few years ago, the vouchers provided tens of millions of dollars to private schools in the Milwaukee area. Since then, the public schools have constantly faced large budget deficits. According to a 2001 Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal report, 237 school districts in Wisconsin lost $2.7 million in state aid and property taxes were raised to help pay for the voucher program. Similar conditions of public school budget deficits have also occurred in pro-voucher areas such as Florida and Cleveland, Ohio. California proposed vouchers a few years ago, but a study group analysis warned that vouchers would be aimed at more affluent families, not disadvantaged families.
Consequently, voucher programs lead to a two-tier system of education where student stratification increases and communities become divided with segregated schools.
In other words, voucher activists promote their cause by exploiting low-income families with false promises. In addition, as in the case with the Milwaukee voucher program, many voucher kids were in private schools before “choice”.
Voucher activists also claim that the free market should let schools “compete”. But any private school that accepts vouchers will be more inclined to be profit driven. Voucher schools therefore, will be more inclined to have revenue drives, cost-cutting budgets and possible creative accounting schemes ahead of educating our children.
Add to the problems of accountability for those private schools that participate in the voucher program. HB 148, the current voucher bill in the Utah Legislature, gives loose requirements in teacher certification, student testing, or curriculum content. In addition, there is no reference about complying with open meetings and open records laws. Also, vouchers do not address financial accountability and an audit will not be conducted on the voucher program until after the 2013-2014 school year.
It is unfortunate that PFC has been using “smoke and mirrors” with their real purpose of only helping a few by convincing Utahns to pay taxpayer money for vouchers. What’s more, a few Republican Legislators are using strong-arm tactics and backroom deals to assure passage of HB148. In the 2006 election year, PFC spent over half a million dollars in campaign contributions and promotions. Imagine how that money could have helped the very children they claim to be helping. As a whole, vouchers will not work and low-income families will always have a difficult time in being equal in education when competing with families who have far more resources.
Richard Watson,
Chair, Davis County Democratic Party
11 comments:
As a parent, why do you not want to give me a choice as to how to spend MY tax dollars on my child’s education?
Funny, the same people who are pushing vouchers seem to also be of the opinion that we should not raise minimum wage.
I see vouchers as just another tax break for the upper 3%.
I feel that it is a priveldge to pay taxes, and I am pleased that my tax dollars are helping not only my children receive an education, but also my neighbor's children.
Public education in Utah does a great job considering the war that has been waged against it.
To the first Anonymous;
You answered your own question by saying,
"MY tax dollars".
Richard, are you saying that the tax dollars that I pay are YOURS? That sounds pretty arrogant. My vote is just as strong as yours and mine can take you right out of office. My dollars should be spent the way I want them to be spent. Is America not a democracy where the choices made by government are supposed to represent the wishes of the people? If I choose to pay for my child go to private school, why should I still pay for a public education that my child will not use? So politicians, like you, can waste more of my money?
I thought we were all responsible for each other.
Rob, I love my fellow man and I help as often as I can. But, if I have to take care of others and I don't get to benefit from others, then I am alone on an island taking care of everyone, including myself. Where is the personal responsibility? All I want is to be able to use some of the money that I already give in taxes for my child to get the education that I want them to have in an environment that requires discipline that lawyers will not allow the state to enforce in public schools.
First of all, we all benefit from a well educated society, that is why we use public funds for it. How do you benefit? How many people responsible for your and any of your family members employment received public education? My guess is most if not all. That means that any money you bring in and pay your bills with are in part a result of your tax dollars funding the education of children not your own.
Secondly, what right do you have curtailing my kids education? Tax money is not your money, it is the publics money.
Thirdly, even if it were your money, why on earth would only families who do not currently have kids in private school be eligible?
Assuming this would create an influx of children to private schools and assuming most private schools are at capacity or near, where are these kids going to go to school?
Who are the people that are going to be building these schools and running them and made hugely profitable at my expense? What right do you have to take my (our) money and line the pockets of your friends without me having any say as to who gets it?
I feel as though we have just been fleeced again for the profit of a very few who probably have political ties to the legislators involved.
Eric,
I am not wealthy. I certainly don't earn even close to a 6-figure income. You assume that only very wealthy people send their kids to private schools. I work very hard and have worked as many as 3 jobs at a time to afford my children to go to school in a safe environment. To be able to afford this also causes me to pay a large amount of money in taxes, much more than I will receive back from these vouchers. The way that the law is being set up is that those that make less than $30K per year will get the most money, yet they pay the least in taxes.
I benefited from public education because my parents paid taxes, but you assume that I work for someone else. You are thinking too small.
Why don't you start one of these schools and become "hugely profitable" instead of complaining about it. And, try to stay in business without some very wealthy people donating a lot of money. That is the way most schools do stay in business. Think bigger.
Vouchers will not curtail your kid's education because it will all be funded from the "General Fund" and not from Public Education funds. I should be the one upset about this, they are spending money on vouchers just because they have a surplus. I would really just prefer that all Utahns just pay less in taxes. That would help the local economy and create more jobs. Not one person that I know is getting rich from teaching or running a private school. They do it because they want to teach kids in a safe environment where discipline can be enforced that lawyers will not allow to occur in public schools. Ask your kids how safe they feel in public school. Hmmm.. public. Should I not be able to make the rules? I am the public.
The bottom line of this issue is whether, in a country founded on individual freedom, government shoud be financially coercing parents to send their children to government run schools. I think not.
It is right that the tuition fee of the private schools is higher than the public schools. However, vouchers make great help of the patents to admit their child in these schools. Some affordable private schools give good education at an affordable rate.
http://www.teensprivateschools.com/schooltypes/Private-Schools/index.html
Most of the parents want to admit their child in the private schools but due to high tuition fee, these are not able to admit their child in private high schools. So, for the lower or middle class parents vouchers help a lot.
http://www.teensprivateschools.com/schooltypes/High-Schools/index.html
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