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Showing posts with label Utahns for Public Schools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Utahns for Public Schools. Show all posts
Friday, October 05, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Utahns Need to Invest in Our Own Public Schools
96% of Utah's children attend public school.
Utah has the most overcrowded classrooms in the country.
Utah ranks last in the nation in spending per student.
Instead of diverting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for vouchers, Utahns should increase our investment in public schools.
Utah has the most overcrowded classrooms in the country.
Utah ranks last in the nation in spending per student.
Instead of diverting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for vouchers, Utahns should increase our investment in public schools.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Utah's Voucher Law is Fundamentally Flawed
The flawed voucher law contains too many loopholes, unanswered questions, and little accountability for private voucher academy's.
Private schools are not required to be accredited like public schools.
Unaccountable private voucher schools may hire teachers without a college degree or a state license.
Private voucher schools don't have to meet the same coursework or attendance standards that public schools must meet.
Private schools are not required to be accredited like public schools.
Unaccountable private voucher schools may hire teachers without a college degree or a state license.
Private voucher schools don't have to meet the same coursework or attendance standards that public schools must meet.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Vouchers have not helped students learn
Eric Jacobson has done his reserch. What is his conclusion?
Conclusion: Voucher programs have demonstrated almost no academic benefits in other places. Will Utah be different?
Read the Standard Examiner's: Vouchers have not helped students learn
Hat tip: Education in Utah
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 09, 2007
Reflecting
It's an absolutely beautiful day here in Cedar City. I just finished delivering my last set of voucher packets to our PTA representative, who was instrumental in making this whole thing happen. Her early estimates are that we are going to meet a 15 percent benchmark - that is, we gathered more than our 10 percent goal. This is incredible and speaks volumes about how Iron County parents feel about our neighborhood schools.
As I was driving back home and through my neighborhood, I couldn't help but stop and reflect on some of the conversations I had with neighbors and friends. I have received criticism on this blog for my "pollyanna" viewpoint of Iron County's public schools. But I can tell you for certain that many of the people I have spoken to over the last several weeks agree with me - Iron County schools truly are wonderful.
All of the people involved in this effort have one thing in common - we want the very best for our children. For our opponents to say otherwise is wrong. I don't think I saw any "union thugs" out there, and I looked high and low. I agree with a post I read somewhere on the Amicus that the term "Union Thug" is getting kind of old... and it really does not apply to our Iron County effort. In my view, the UEA does not hold any political power here whatsoever. Parents are the involved and active voice - we have an excellent PTA, a fabulous school board, and many parents who are involved and participating in their children's education.
Am I a Pollyana? Perhaps. But I'll tell you, it was heartwarming to see so many Iron County parents advocating for public schools. And contrary to what advocates may tell you, this is NOT a partisan issue. Many many many registered Republicans put their names on the referendum to oppose vouchers. Many whom I spoke to feel that Utah schools do incredible things and achieve excellence in academics with limited resources. By putting their signature on the referendum, these good citizens were standing up for Utah's school children.
Now I'm going to go do something I have not done in a long time. I'm going to go work in my yard, plant some rose bushes, and enjoy this beautiful weather.
As I was driving back home and through my neighborhood, I couldn't help but stop and reflect on some of the conversations I had with neighbors and friends. I have received criticism on this blog for my "pollyanna" viewpoint of Iron County's public schools. But I can tell you for certain that many of the people I have spoken to over the last several weeks agree with me - Iron County schools truly are wonderful.All of the people involved in this effort have one thing in common - we want the very best for our children. For our opponents to say otherwise is wrong. I don't think I saw any "union thugs" out there, and I looked high and low. I agree with a post I read somewhere on the Amicus that the term "Union Thug" is getting kind of old... and it really does not apply to our Iron County effort. In my view, the UEA does not hold any political power here whatsoever. Parents are the involved and active voice - we have an excellent PTA, a fabulous school board, and many parents who are involved and participating in their children's education.
Am I a Pollyana? Perhaps. But I'll tell you, it was heartwarming to see so many Iron County parents advocating for public schools. And contrary to what advocates may tell you, this is NOT a partisan issue. Many many many registered Republicans put their names on the referendum to oppose vouchers. Many whom I spoke to feel that Utah schools do incredible things and achieve excellence in academics with limited resources. By putting their signature on the referendum, these good citizens were standing up for Utah's school children.
Now I'm going to go do something I have not done in a long time. I'm going to go work in my yard, plant some rose bushes, and enjoy this beautiful weather.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Parents for Choice: Rhetoric vs. Reality
Chairman Wayne Holland Jr. just made a great point about the voucher referendum petition while being interviewed by The Deseret News.If Parents for Choice truly believes that a majority of Utahns support vouchers based on their slanted poll, then they should be assisting Utahns for Public Schools to put the issue before the people of Utah, and allow Utahns to put this issue to bed once and for all. Instead it seems that they would rather continue to use Utah as an ongoing laboratory for right wing think tanks.
Unfortunately their rhetoric does not match reality. They claim Utahns support their issue, but at the same time they seem to fear bringing Utah citizens to the ballot box.
If they are so confidant that the majority of Utahns support vouchers then why are they spending so much money on their rhetoric in their attempt to take away the voters of Utah constitutional rights to be equals with the legislature?
One might ask, what are they really afraid of?
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Voucher conclusions after a conversation with a "fed-up" Utah Republican
Today I met with a small business owner who told me he has voted as a Republican most of his life, that is until this last election cycle where he voted a straight Democratic ticket.
His conversation was not emotional, or angry, but he was very clear that he was "fed-up" with the Republican Party both nationally and locally.
When I told him that I was the vice chair of the Democratic Party he asked, "are you going to finally get rid of Greg Curtis?" I assured him that the Utah Democratic Party had ever intention in doing so.
His big issue?
How could the legislature and Governor Huntsman go forward with the Sandy/ReAL stadium deal after Mayor Corroon's wise and educated decision that was based on what was best for the common good?
When I said, "it really didn't matter if the stadium is a success or not, all that really mattered was those who would profit from building the stadium".
He agreed.
When I said, "it really didn't matter if the stadium is a success or not, all that really mattered was those who would profit from building the stadium".
He agreed.
When I asked him about his opinion on school vouchers he explained that he had been a member of corporate America for many years and that he and his family had a great experience in the Pittsburgh Public School System.
"It changed my daughter's life", he explained. "When we returned to Utah my daughter asked if she could go back and finish school in Pittsburgh."
He then explained his belief that the citizens of Pittsburgh have built a system that leaves their students with three problems; whether to go to Harvard, Yale, or Columbia.
As we continued our conversation I explained two of my issues with vouchers. I told him how ironic it is that our Republican-dominated legislature has deliberately put a strangle-hold on public education funding over the last 20 years, and how they are unwilling to take any responsibility for their actions.
I also explained my belief that there is no room for vouchers until we build a public school system that allows every child the opportunity to have the very best educational expedience without their parents having to pay for a private education. To me, a private education is a choice, and that choice has a cost. That is why it is called "Private".
Private: 1 a : intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person, group, or class.
As we continued to talk we both agreed that the most important factor in a child's education is the involvement of that child's parent(s). Michelle and I could not be more pleased with Abby's public school teacher and experience. We know her teacher is doing a great job because we are involved with Abby's class, and because school doesn't end for Abby when when the bell rings.
Michelle reads to our children every night and we allow our children the opportunities to explore and discover their talents, as best we can.
Which brings me to this conclusion: Almost every issue that is used in politics to divide us are issues that will never be solved by the government as long as we look at the government as something evil, or incapable, or "failing". We are the government, and we are not only responsible for our own children, but for every child, whether they share our DNA or not.
I believe in the public school system, and I believe that it is privilege when my tax dollars not only help my children receive an education, but that my tax dollars will also help your children receive an education.
If Michelle and I decide for some reason that we do want to place our children in a private school then I still want my tax dollars to fund the public education system that educated my grandparents, my parents and me, even after my children are raised, and when we no longer have children attending school. You see, for me it is very simple; we all profit from the education provided by public schools.
The choice is there; it always has been there. Vouchers have never been about choice, or the lack of it.
If we really want to build our economy, if we truly want to reach for the stars, then let's build a public education system that is second to none anywhere on this planet. When we do so, we can truly say that we are each others keeper, and that we have achieved something truly great.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Republican delegate responds to PCE's "Liberal Bad" letter
Despite attacks by policy makers and Parents for Choice,
Utahns for Public Schools ‘committed to ensuring that the will of the people is heard’
When David Gatti, a teacher and state Republican delegate, received a letter from Parents for Choice in Education (PCE) saying, “Republicans must not sign these [school voucher referendum] petitions,” he was outraged.
Like a majority of Utahns, Gatti believes that citizens should have an opportunity to vote on whether or not private school vouchers are a wise use of taxpayer dollars. (In a March 9 poll released by KSL Television, 80 percent of Utahns said they would sign a petition to put education vouchers on the ballot.)
In a response to Doug Holmes, PCE chairman and author of the letter, Gatti reminded Holmes that the referendum process provides checks and balances on the power of the state’s policymakers “just in case elected officials do not represent the will of their [constituencies].
“The fact that you are against letting the people vote on such an important piece of policy lets me know that you are afraid of the possible results,” Gatti told Holmes. “I do not disagree that there are parts of the public education system that could be revamped. Let’s start by investing our money there – where [96] percent of Utah students are and will continue to be educated. Finally, do not ask me not to exercise my constitutionally guaranteed right to petition the government. Many people have died, and are dying for that document; do not ever insult it like this . . . and especially never do it under the guise of being a responsible Republican.”
Gatti and more than 15,000 volunteers statewide have until April 9 to gather 92,000 signatures and ensure a ballot referendum on a new private school voucher law passed by the 2007 Utah Legislature. The organization behind the referendum effort – Utahns for Public Schools (UTPS) – has support from the following organizations: Utah State Parent Teacher Association (PTA); Utah School Boards Association (USBA); Utah School Superintendents Association (USSA); Utah School Employees Association (USEA); Utah Education Association (UEA); NAACP – Salt Lake Chapter; League of Women Voters; Utah Association of Elementary School Principals (UAESP); and the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals (UASSP). According to UTPS, 9,000 petitions have been delivered to the Utah Education Association and 6,000 have been delivered to PTA volunteers.
“We have PTA moms and dads who are leading this effort to give the people of Utah a chance to vote on whether vouchers are worth the expense,” said Carmen Snow, state PTA president and a UTPS spokesperson. “We have encountered roadblocks at every turn, but our people remain committed to ensuring that the will of the people is heard.”
The “roadblocks” Snow referred to began after the referendum petition was filed in early March. UTPS attorney Janet Jenson received a call from the office of Utah Lt. Governor Gary Herbert, telling her the petition was invalid because the notary’s stamp was green instead of purple. The state employee Jenson talked to later recanted. Jenson received another call informing her that the petition was invalid because it was called a “Petition for Referendum,” rather than an “Application for Petition for Referendum.” Once again, following a challenge by Jenson, the employee recanted.
Lt. Governor Herbert and Utah state Senator Curtis Bramble (R-Provo) then proceeded to argue that the referendum petition to put education vouchers on the ballot was pointless because a second law was passed by the Legislature – and that law superseded House Bill 148, the basis for the petition drive.
Jenson argues that the second bill (House Bill 174) does not supersede HB 148.
And that means repealing HB 148 will kill both bills. In addition, Jenson noted that it wasn’t possible to challenge HB 174 because it hadn’t been signed into law by the time the referendum deadline passed.
“Having spent more than half a million dollars to buy legislators’ votes and get the voucher bill enacted by a single vote after it had been voted down six previous times, did we really believe that the pro-voucher machine would just quietly roll over when we stood up for ourselves, our children and our public schools and demanded to vote?” Jenson said. “Heavens, no. Voucher proponents will use every weapon they’ve got to stop us from putting this on the ballot. We have to expect them to run media ads that distort the truth, file lawsuits, pressure people not to sign petitions or even to take their names back off after they do sign.”
Last week, as Jenson predicted, the Utah Republican Party began running radio advertisements, patting themselves on the back for a legislature and governor who approved the nation’s most sweeping voucher legislation. When the ads first aired, they ended with a notation they had been paid for by the Utah Republican Party. That tag line was taken off after a couple of days.
“Like the civil rights marchers of the 1960’s, we will not stop until Utah taxpayers are given an opportunity to be heard on this most important issue,” said Snow.
Like a majority of Utahns, Gatti believes that citizens should have an opportunity to vote on whether or not private school vouchers are a wise use of taxpayer dollars. (In a March 9 poll released by KSL Television, 80 percent of Utahns said they would sign a petition to put education vouchers on the ballot.)
In a response to Doug Holmes, PCE chairman and author of the letter, Gatti reminded Holmes that the referendum process provides checks and balances on the power of the state’s policymakers “just in case elected officials do not represent the will of their [constituencies].
“The fact that you are against letting the people vote on such an important piece of policy lets me know that you are afraid of the possible results,” Gatti told Holmes. “I do not disagree that there are parts of the public education system that could be revamped. Let’s start by investing our money there – where [96] percent of Utah students are and will continue to be educated. Finally, do not ask me not to exercise my constitutionally guaranteed right to petition the government. Many people have died, and are dying for that document; do not ever insult it like this . . . and especially never do it under the guise of being a responsible Republican.”
Gatti and more than 15,000 volunteers statewide have until April 9 to gather 92,000 signatures and ensure a ballot referendum on a new private school voucher law passed by the 2007 Utah Legislature. The organization behind the referendum effort – Utahns for Public Schools (UTPS) – has support from the following organizations: Utah State Parent Teacher Association (PTA); Utah School Boards Association (USBA); Utah School Superintendents Association (USSA); Utah School Employees Association (USEA); Utah Education Association (UEA); NAACP – Salt Lake Chapter; League of Women Voters; Utah Association of Elementary School Principals (UAESP); and the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals (UASSP). According to UTPS, 9,000 petitions have been delivered to the Utah Education Association and 6,000 have been delivered to PTA volunteers.
“We have PTA moms and dads who are leading this effort to give the people of Utah a chance to vote on whether vouchers are worth the expense,” said Carmen Snow, state PTA president and a UTPS spokesperson. “We have encountered roadblocks at every turn, but our people remain committed to ensuring that the will of the people is heard.”
The “roadblocks” Snow referred to began after the referendum petition was filed in early March. UTPS attorney Janet Jenson received a call from the office of Utah Lt. Governor Gary Herbert, telling her the petition was invalid because the notary’s stamp was green instead of purple. The state employee Jenson talked to later recanted. Jenson received another call informing her that the petition was invalid because it was called a “Petition for Referendum,” rather than an “Application for Petition for Referendum.” Once again, following a challenge by Jenson, the employee recanted.
Lt. Governor Herbert and Utah state Senator Curtis Bramble (R-Provo) then proceeded to argue that the referendum petition to put education vouchers on the ballot was pointless because a second law was passed by the Legislature – and that law superseded House Bill 148, the basis for the petition drive.
Jenson argues that the second bill (House Bill 174) does not supersede HB 148.
And that means repealing HB 148 will kill both bills. In addition, Jenson noted that it wasn’t possible to challenge HB 174 because it hadn’t been signed into law by the time the referendum deadline passed.
“Having spent more than half a million dollars to buy legislators’ votes and get the voucher bill enacted by a single vote after it had been voted down six previous times, did we really believe that the pro-voucher machine would just quietly roll over when we stood up for ourselves, our children and our public schools and demanded to vote?” Jenson said. “Heavens, no. Voucher proponents will use every weapon they’ve got to stop us from putting this on the ballot. We have to expect them to run media ads that distort the truth, file lawsuits, pressure people not to sign petitions or even to take their names back off after they do sign.”
Last week, as Jenson predicted, the Utah Republican Party began running radio advertisements, patting themselves on the back for a legislature and governor who approved the nation’s most sweeping voucher legislation. When the ads first aired, they ended with a notation they had been paid for by the Utah Republican Party. That tag line was taken off after a couple of days.
“Like the civil rights marchers of the 1960’s, we will not stop until Utah taxpayers are given an opportunity to be heard on this most important issue,” said Snow.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
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