Keri is off getting away from the kids tonight and so I thought that I would take a minute and post on an issue that I am very passionate about. If you are in Utah and not living in a cave, then you are very away of Referendum 1 and school vouchers. Let me just say that Keri and I are huge supporters of Referendum 1. I have put a couple short videos here, that by no means are the whole enchilada, but I think they do a very good job on the topic. In addition, here is a well written article that I encourage you to read.
I wish that I could force the hand of millions of voters next week pass this bill, that the Governor all ready signed into law, but we all know that I can’t do that. But what I can do is to encourage everybody to get educated on this issue and to get out and vote on Nov. 6th (this coming Tues).
So please, educate yourself, know the source of your information and make a difference in your kids education.
Thanks to Teri for sending us this article as well. Also very good.
13 comments:
How do you post videos on your blog? I tried doing it and it acted like I had to save it on my comp and browse for it, instead of getting it from the net...How do you get stuff from YouTube?
Call Randy tomorrow & ask him. He told me once, but I can't remember what he said.
I’m with you on Ref. 1. I posted about it a couple of days ago on my blog, blog648 http://blog648.blogspot.com . I used the same article by John Stossel, and another one at Captain's Quarters. It’s not just a Utah issue, but we have a unique opportunity here in that we can vote to have a choice.
Jack P.
I have been very undecided on ref. 1 because I don't know how many parents I feel will actually use the vouchers other than rich people who are already going to private school. I also don't want a raise in taxes, which is what I could see happening because of this. The cookie demonstration explains better to me how it won't actually raise taxes (as much, you never know).
Tammy--I actually wish all money allocated to education was attached to each student. That would allow parents to decide where they want their kid to attend school, create competition, and only the best schools would survive. I'm very much with John Stossel on this one.
Tammy,
Thanks for taking a minute to comment. As far as the rich being the only ones to benifit is quite the opposite. See, the rich already have school choice. They have the money to live in the best places with the best schools or have the money to pay for private schools now. The vouches will give many more families the apility to choose where to send there kids to school. Also the rich may only get $500 or less with vouchers.
As far as raising taxes go, just think of how much taxes will have ot be raise in Utah with 150,000 more students in school in 10 years. If we do not do something to curve this trend now, it will be too late to make any cahnges. With vouchers we will see a increase in private schools to educate many of these new students, thus keeping our public school numbers withing reason.
Either way, thanks for taking an interest in Ref 1.
TAMMY
Ill tell you of a few people who use voucheres besides rich people. I put my son into private school and later removed him but where he went it was very small and I know of at lest 4 or 5 kids that did not have money, at all. There moms and in one case mom and dad did work for the school so their kids could attend, they fell behind in public scool and were made fun of, their self esteem was bad, this school is very strict and does not EVER put up with that. Also some schools are better than others, would you like to choose where your kid goes with the financil freedom to send them. The private school I used cost only about 4000 a year and they used the money wisley and the kids tested way above public and were taught using all methods of learing that public schools do not. I just wanted you to know not only rich people use this. If schools do not perform take your voucher and attend some where that does, yew some schools will suffer but the ones that do will because of their lack of performance not money. All they have to do is a good job and it's fine. Would you pay for something broken or not built right? Also when I sent my son I had to pay and my taxes were the same, costing me more. When I needed help from the public schools they would not because we were at private even though my tax dollars are paid like everyone else. Hope this helps you see this side of the ouchers.
that is a really good clip. ive seen the commercial for it but when you watch the whole thing it makes more sense
I think it has both its good points and its bad. I think its great that you can choose which school your kid can go to and it'll make schools better trying to compete for students. I think though that it at the same time will hurt the public school system (while helping private) and actually create lower levels in the public schools because they don't have the funding any more.. Its either way for me
Heather,
It should hurt some public schools. It is called competition and just like in business, bad companies and poorly ran companies should go out of business to make way for new and more efficient ones. When public schools and unions are forced to respond to market conditions schools will get better and students will get better educations.
I think a better solution would be to give tax breaks to parents who opt for private schools. That way the money goes directly to the parents to do what they wish with it, instead of directly to the private schools. Government subsidies lead to government control. I don't want to see private schools turn into expensive public schools bound by the same curriculum and lack of freedom. I just don't think vouchers are the right answer.
So, "Anonymous", why don't you tell us who you are?
Anonymous,
I don't care that you want to remain anonymous, that is the beauty of the internet.
However, I do question your thinking as to why a tax break would be better then a voucher? In my mind weather I get a voucher for $3000 or I get a tax break of $3000, I am still going to spend the same amount of money on private schools, the private schools are still going to get the same amount of revenue and the government is giving the same amount to the family.
Making it a tax break would not offer any benefit to lower income families that pay very little in income tax after all is said and done. The rich would be the only ones that would benefit from a tax break as opposed to a voucher. This would defeat the point of vouchers all together. In other words a tax break say’s, ‘you have to make this much to qualify’ when a vouchers say’s, ‘you can only make this much to quality’. There is a HUGE difference.
I am not saying that vouchers is the end all be all and will solve all of our educational problems. But it is great first step and I imagine that if it passes we will make changes to it over years to come. But we can not maintain the status quo any longer.
Opponents of Ref 1 say that we can not risk this experiment but offer no other solution then to through more money at the problem. If money would solve the problem, the problem would have been solved years ago. But if you look at the states that spend the most per child to those that spend the least, there is little difference. However, you can find many private schools that spend less then $5000 per student that due very well.
In addition, Ref 1 will cost the state (without taking money out of the education budget) less then 1% of the states educational budget. If people would put this into perspective and stop listening to the NEA, that is only interested in protecting there monopoly not educate your child, they would realize that it is a great first step.
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