All Utahns benefit from an excellent public education system. Our youth enter the work force among the most literate and skilled in the world. But to hear Writers Group columnist Joe Baker and other voucher supporters, you would think our education system was a complete failure.
Utah's schools are not a complete failure. Utah - and specifically Southern Utah - has some of the very best public schools around. Furthermore, there is no proof that a private school produces "better results" than a public school.
According to a National Center for Education Statistics study, public school students show little to no difference in performance, and in some areas tend to do better. It is only in head-to-head comparisons where private schools' ability to reject students that don't meet their standards that private schools outperform public schools.
Vouchers are promoted as the solution to overcrowded schools. To relieve this pressure, there would need to be enough affordable private schools in Utah to absorb the demand for private schools that voucher supporters claim exists. But Utah doesn't enjoy a large number of private schools - let alone affordable ones.
A Google search of private schools in Utah shows Cedar City has exactly one private school listed on www.allprivate schools.org. With 16 students (all from out of state) it is a school for "at risk youth." Under the voucher law a school must have at least 40 students to qualify and at least one of the student's parents must live in Utah.
In Washington County, five schools are listed. The majority of these schools are for "at risk teenagers" whose parents live out of the state. There is neither significant demand for private schools in our region nor much capacity to relieve pressure on the public school system.
Baker claims that with vouchers, private schools will be "affordable to all Utah parents." It is not clear whether vouchers will lower the price of a private education enough to entice parents away from public schools, especially when the majority of Utah parents are happy with them.
According to the National Association of Independent Schools, the median tuition for its member private schools is $14,000. The maximum a low-income family could expect to receive under Utah's voucher legislation is $3,000. Assuming Utah's few private schools could approach the national median tuition, it is hard to accept Baker's claim that all parents in Utah could afford to send their children to a private school even if they wanted to.
Polls show an overwhelming majority of Utahns favor placing vouchers on the ballot. They are happy with their local neighborhood schools, and have consistently advocated for improving public education rather than funding private schools with public funds. Many Southern Utah parents have nothing but praise for their public schools, using words like "wonderful" and "excellent" when they describe their children's teachers.
Voucher proponents recently sent out letters telling voters that they "must not sign" the referendum. What do they fear? Why not let the people decide? It's our tax dollars in question, we should be given the opportunity to vote on how we want our tax dollars spent.
Utah spending (per capita) on public school students ranks 51st (below the District of Columbia.) We have a lot of kids to educate with limited resources. Why divert one penny of those precious resources to subsidize an industry that doesn't need and doesn't want the influx of students? Why not do everything we can to support the neighborhood schools that open their doors every day to all of our children?
Those of us who are opposed to using public money for private education have no problem with private schools. But when something affects how our tax dollars are spent and the future of our neighborhood schools, we just want to cast our ballot.
Emily Bingham Hollingshead is a Cedar City resident, a small business owner and a mom to two sons who attend Cedar City public schools.
Utah's schools are not a complete failure. Utah - and specifically Southern Utah - has some of the very best public schools around. Furthermore, there is no proof that a private school produces "better results" than a public school.
According to a National Center for Education Statistics study, public school students show little to no difference in performance, and in some areas tend to do better. It is only in head-to-head comparisons where private schools' ability to reject students that don't meet their standards that private schools outperform public schools.
Vouchers are promoted as the solution to overcrowded schools. To relieve this pressure, there would need to be enough affordable private schools in Utah to absorb the demand for private schools that voucher supporters claim exists. But Utah doesn't enjoy a large number of private schools - let alone affordable ones.
A Google search of private schools in Utah shows Cedar City has exactly one private school listed on www.allprivate schools.org. With 16 students (all from out of state) it is a school for "at risk youth." Under the voucher law a school must have at least 40 students to qualify and at least one of the student's parents must live in Utah.
In Washington County, five schools are listed. The majority of these schools are for "at risk teenagers" whose parents live out of the state. There is neither significant demand for private schools in our region nor much capacity to relieve pressure on the public school system.
Baker claims that with vouchers, private schools will be "affordable to all Utah parents." It is not clear whether vouchers will lower the price of a private education enough to entice parents away from public schools, especially when the majority of Utah parents are happy with them.
According to the National Association of Independent Schools, the median tuition for its member private schools is $14,000. The maximum a low-income family could expect to receive under Utah's voucher legislation is $3,000. Assuming Utah's few private schools could approach the national median tuition, it is hard to accept Baker's claim that all parents in Utah could afford to send their children to a private school even if they wanted to.
Polls show an overwhelming majority of Utahns favor placing vouchers on the ballot. They are happy with their local neighborhood schools, and have consistently advocated for improving public education rather than funding private schools with public funds. Many Southern Utah parents have nothing but praise for their public schools, using words like "wonderful" and "excellent" when they describe their children's teachers.
Voucher proponents recently sent out letters telling voters that they "must not sign" the referendum. What do they fear? Why not let the people decide? It's our tax dollars in question, we should be given the opportunity to vote on how we want our tax dollars spent.
Utah spending (per capita) on public school students ranks 51st (below the District of Columbia.) We have a lot of kids to educate with limited resources. Why divert one penny of those precious resources to subsidize an industry that doesn't need and doesn't want the influx of students? Why not do everything we can to support the neighborhood schools that open their doors every day to all of our children?
Those of us who are opposed to using public money for private education have no problem with private schools. But when something affects how our tax dollars are spent and the future of our neighborhood schools, we just want to cast our ballot.
Emily Bingham Hollingshead is a Cedar City resident, a small business owner and a mom to two sons who attend Cedar City public schools.
