In an attempt to improve educational opportunities, the Utah Legislature has 
passed a bill allowing a voucher system. While we must always support choice, the public schools have been and always will be the repository of core American values. They offer a balanced historical vision of our nation and its unique mission in the world. They offer equality of educational opportunity to all classes of citizens. They teach cooperative, peaceful interaction of diverse racial and cultural groups. They help socialize youngsters to mainstream acceptable social skills, manners, common values such as taking turns, the value of work, excellence in endeavors, goals, volunteerism, helping others, pledge of Allegiance, voting, loyalty to country and family, and all religious views.
In many of these areas, the benefits of private or Charter schools cannot be counted on to deliver back to America these same qualities, while with a voucher system, they divert significant amounts of tax monies from our public system. America badly needs a solid base of citizens with a common vision and commitment to an egalitarian and diverse Democracy. We cannot undermine this foundation without de-stabilizing our society for the sake of pandering to elitism, exotic reinventions of core curriculum, or at its worst, extremist political or religious groups who wish to use schools to indoctrinate the next generation. We need to renew a consistently generous funding of our public schools system before it crumbles.
passed a bill allowing a voucher system. While we must always support choice, the public schools have been and always will be the repository of core American values. They offer a balanced historical vision of our nation and its unique mission in the world. They offer equality of educational opportunity to all classes of citizens. They teach cooperative, peaceful interaction of diverse racial and cultural groups. They help socialize youngsters to mainstream acceptable social skills, manners, common values such as taking turns, the value of work, excellence in endeavors, goals, volunteerism, helping others, pledge of Allegiance, voting, loyalty to country and family, and all religious views.In many of these areas, the benefits of private or Charter schools cannot be counted on to deliver back to America these same qualities, while with a voucher system, they divert significant amounts of tax monies from our public system. America badly needs a solid base of citizens with a common vision and commitment to an egalitarian and diverse Democracy. We cannot undermine this foundation without de-stabilizing our society for the sake of pandering to elitism, exotic reinventions of core curriculum, or at its worst, extremist political or religious groups who wish to use schools to indoctrinate the next generation. We need to renew a consistently generous funding of our public schools system before it crumbles.
12 comments:
And herein lies the problem -- it is NOT the public school's job to teach 'egalitarianism' because that is a political view. We need to privatize all education.
I completely agree with Elizabeth's first paragraph--the public schools have in most instance provided excellence in the many areas that we need to keep our country strong.
It is with great surprise, then, that I find nearly nothing in the second paragraph with which I can agree. It is disingenuous to say that tax monies are diverted without admitting that children are diverted as well (to equally excellent educational opportunities). Vouchers will not pander to elitism, as all have the opportunity to avail themselves of the benefit. Extremist political and religious groups will not indoctrinate their students any more than the public school system does. And most of all, I feel much more optimistic than Elizabeth does that allowing educational choice will not cause the crumbling of the public school system.
I really have to disagree with this statement; public schools are the worst mechanism to deliver a system of values in our country.
For example, cultural diversity; which as been pushed tirelessly by the NEA and public schools around the country. What does cultural diversity define, a separation of us as a people, rather than bringing us together us together under a common culture.
American culture was not originally built on a foundation of public schools; rather during the time of our founding fathers schools were private and parochial.
Public education has developed a monopoly among schools, taking away the power of many parents via such things as tenure and teachers unions.
Vouchers give parents a say in how their tax money is spent and levels the playing field for all children in education. Let us go back to a time were parents controlled education and not the teachers or the educational bureaucracy
Hey, anonymous,
Monopoly, shmonopoly, bleah, bleah. How does public education take power away from parents? What is this power?
Kids come to school, they take biology, math, and French and go home. Oh, no, such power!
And how is it a monopoly? That's like calling the sheriff's department a monopoly. Or the water department, or the U.S. Army, or the sewage treatment system. Since when do I have right to choose among competitors in order to get the best police protection?
Do I get a voucher to pay for my private choices of where I want to buy my water? Can I start my own militia to defend my interests overseas?
Actually, public education allows complete "parental choice" in Utah. In fact, many east-side schools wouldn't exist otherwise.
It's ridiculous to suggest that our social institutions are somehow getting away with some monopolitic economic power play when all they are doing is what we pay them to do.
I guess what this is all about is getting someone else to pay for your private choices. Hmmm, smells like socialism to me.
Saying that individuals can lay claim to the public treasury for private choices opens the door to a wholesale realignment in the direction of social entitlements and away from the public good.
Just because it's some right-wing anti-government crusaders who want the government to subsidize their personal escape from the larger public doesn't make it any less socialistic or hypocritical.
So-called conservatives attack government as the enemy and end up creating what is little more than yet another tax-funded entitlement run by the government no less.
Effort and attitude are what the pro-active parents of children want; one way of being proactive is giving us a voice in which school our child attends and the ability to take the take the tax dollars for the child along with them in the form of a voucher, whether that school is private or public.
I fail to see why the NEA and UEA and other Clintonesque organizations are trying to increase the strangle hold that teachers, unions and the educational bureaucracy have on our children and maintain the status quote of education, in lieu of giving parents the economic freedom to send their children to school of our choice.
The nation is watching Utah with its vouchers program; here we have the opportunity to be on the forefront of a pro-active movement in education – why are you trying to stop us?
Again, anonymous,
What is this mysterious stranglehold that the educational bureaucracy and teachers have on your children?
How do they do it? What is their svengali-like mystery power other than the mandate to teach that is given to teachers from the locally-elected school board?
Oh, and I love the plea for the "economic freedom" to choose. It's just another public subsidy for private choices.
Parents can and do choose all the time--the tax-payers don't have to cut you a check to do it.
Plain and simple teachers and bureaucratic educational system make the policy decisions that guide the way our public schools work.
It’s time to do away with teacher unions and tenure and give parents a true voice in running their schools.
Parents should have the final say in curriculum and budgets. One way for parents to achieve this pour is to control the budget…hence vouchers.
By giving parents this economic freedom, pro-active mark forces will take over education and make it more accountable.
Schools did to change as society changes….the educational establishment is fighting it tooth and nail
True statements Homer, and parents DO have educational choice already-in fact I believe they are the biggest influence on what type of education a child will have.
It's called parenting. We went to inner city schools in a non-Mormon are , but my parents taught us how to deal with things that came up. We knew what our values were so we weren't "influenced" by those "evil" teachers (it seems they are almost responsible for everything negative in Utah the wasy some people talk). We had seminary, mutual, Sunday School, primary, family home evening, cub and boy scouts, and so on to counteract anything that was thrown at us anyways.
What is STILL really hard for me to grasp though, is that same STILL complain of some lack of choice. Do they not realize the "choice" and privilege they have in raising children????? If not, I'll gladly change them places. That's something I've wanted for many, many years. I would LOVE just to be able to have ONE child in ANY school. It amazes me that some have such a privilege and still complain about it (and some want those of us who don't have that choice to pay for their perceived lack of choice).
But I'm not going to sit and whine about it, I try to do what I can to serve others. Someday, hopefully, I will have my "choice," but it will be something I work for and acheieve on my own (and a lot of praying for sure:).
Effort and attitude are what we need by all people actually and LESS politics.
True statements Homer, and parents DO have educational choice already-in fact I believe they are the biggest influence on what type of education a child will have.
It's called parenting. We went to inner city schools in a non-Mormon are , but my parents taught us how to deal with things that came up. We knew what our values were so we weren't "influenced" by those "evil" teachers (it seems they are almost responsible for everything negative in Utah the wasy some people talk). We had seminary, mutual, Sunday School, primary, family home evening, cub and boy scouts, and so on to counteract anything that was thrown at us anyways.
What is STILL really hard for me to grasp though, is that same STILL complain of some lack of choice. Do they not realize the "choice" and privilege they have in raising children????? If not, I'll gladly change them places. That's something I've wanted for many, many years. I would LOVE just to be able to have ONE child in ANY school. It amazes me that some have such a privilege and still complain about it (and some want those of us who don't have that choice to pay for their perceived lack of choice).
But I'm not going to sit and whine about it, I try to do what I can to serve others. Someday, hopefully, I will have my "choice," but it will be something I work for and acheieve on my own (and a lot of praying for sure:).
Effort and attitude are what we need by all people actually and LESS politics.
Are parents going to have the "final say" in curriculum at every private school???
They DO have the final say in how and what their kids learn in life and how they apply it already.
I think anonymous is getting much closer to what this whole debate is fundamentally all about. Beyond the lame "competition" line, beyond the "school is failing" chicken little nonsense, beyond the "do it for the kids" sloganeering.
As I have said many times, this is not an educational issue--it is squarely political.
Our political system is a representative democracy meaning in simple terms that "We the People" vote for representatives to govern us. As part of the social contract we are willing to have a government (maybe because this is better than anarchy and/or tyranny).
A locally-elected school board carries out the mandate of the people to create and manage a public school system under certain parameters called laws.
yes, yes, yes, teachers in the "educational establishment" will make policy decisions for their students. That is how it is set up.
"We the People" can complain, petition our government, vote, speechify, observe, and run for office to change things, but "We the People" don't walk in and just sit down in the Oval Office and take over.
Imagine the chaos of citizen backstreet drivers in a police car (with a gun even?). Is vigilantism our right?
I could complain about SLC's mayor-at-large Rocky Anderson (and I sure do) but I can't just plop myself beind his desk and start ordering city employees around. I may disagree with his policies but I don't get to write them.
Yes, anonymous, it is "plain and simple" that teachers and the bureaucratic educational system make the policy decisions that guide the way our public schools work.
That is by design--that is in the fundamental nature of our political system and is consistent with our political values. I can't imagine any other way that would guarentee individual participation but also enable the system to function.
Can parents walk into a chemistry class and demand that the teacher cease explaining covalent bonding? Can a Shakespeare-hatin' dad come in and confiscate Romeo and Juliet from the English lit class on his own authority? Can an angry, hateful woman enforce her demand that Mormons and Brigham Young will not be mentioned or studied in a Utah History class (trust me on this one--I got the phone call and it was ugly, because I took a stand for the curriculum I was assigned to teach by the Board of Education)?
I think schools and teachers for the most part (of course there are problems) are open to communicate with parents on behalf of their students/children.
But, no, Parents should not have the final say in curriculum and budgets and other school operations. That would be chaotic madness. What parents most certainly have is the right to enter the democratic process through the representation of the local Board of Education.
This is not some educational conspiracy against parents--this is our system. These are our public institutions. We pay the bills, we receive what we pay for.
But if this whole voucher things is the way "We the People" want to set things up for the future, so be it. But it may not turn out the way it is intended.
I can certainly disagree ("tooth and nail" I suppose), but it's not because I am beholden to a so-called monopoly. It's because I support a vital institution in American society.
I find it plausible that many of these parents who claim it's "their" tax dollars and they should spend them in any way they want probably have so many children they haven't even paid any state taxes! Those of us without kids are paying for their kids already. If that's their logic, I guess we can all just designate where our own tax dollars will and won't be spent. Personally, I don't need a parking lot at the Capitol or more roads in Utah County.
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