I know, if you live in Utah you're tired of this debate, but we've had a lot of opportunity this week to be in "polite company" where I've held my tongue on political issues, but the blog is mine and will spout my opinions. ;-)
I get so frustrated with Utah politics I can hardly stand it, although this is a feeling that's developed over time. I admit, when I was younger I almost basked in the false security a one-party system afforded. You always knew who would win elections. You knew certain proposals would never pass, and you knew who the "good guys" were. The only people who affiliated themselves with the "other" party were misguided, weird, or simply seeking to differentiate themselves from the group.
However, the one party system gets really old when you see how comfortable certain state legislators have become in their seats, knowing it would take a minor miracle for a democrat to take their seat no matter what said legislator says, does, or doesn't care about. Increasingly, I believe our Utah State Legislators represent themselves and their own interests much more closely than those of their constituents.
As an example of that, I post the voucher proposition. Please don't tell me you really believe it's all about "knowing parents and helping kids". Blah. This thing is so sticky with out of state money it's insane. The only reason it passed (on a loophole) to begin with last year was because of big out of state money funding the campaigns of certain legislators. They're totally bought off, and are now working their hardest to pull the wool over Utah's eyes. http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/04/15/news/regional/8bf833af3959dfee872572bd00211cd1.txt
First, that silly cookie example. Vouchers will in no way save Utah money, and they're not about to reduce class sizes. The first fallacy is in letting us think each student in every school costs the SAME amount of money to educate. Let's face it, some students need more resources than others to achieve the same heights. This includes physical and intellectual limitations, language barriers and socioeconomic barriers. Well, which students are likely to leave public schools? Those that cost 4 cookies or those that cost 14? Yeah, the ones who cost 4. Leaving a whole bunch of 14s with only the average 7 cookies or so for each who are left. Private schools also are under no obligation to accept the more expensive students, but public schools are required to educate everyone - meaning private schools can (and for economic reasons probably will) choose the more advantaged, easy to educate kids. Also, let's say a special needs child does get into a private school - no matter where special needs students attend school, by federal law public education is required to provide special assistance upon request. So the public schools are still left paying for their programs, even after they leave public education and take their allotted tax dollars to private schools. What are public schools to use?
About class sizes. The number of teachers allotted to every public school is determined by the number of students enrolled. Let's say 30 students leave next year to go to private school. Guess what? That public school loses a teacher, and I pity the person who has to decide which full grade will have higher class sizes because they will be minus that teacher.
Okay, now back to earth here because this law isn't really going to make that much difference to most people. You've all seen the stats on Utah private school tuition, and know even the poorest of the poor with their $3000 will fall short of being able to pay tuition almost anywhere. Most people will qualify for something like $500-$1000, and few will use it. So we may not see immediate consequences to this law and, as many people seem to say, it will be "no big deal." I promise you, this is the camel's nose under the door of the tent, and those who propose vouchers and their form of "school choice" are not about to stop with this meager offering. They haven't proven it works (http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=678202), so what could be the motivator? It's the green that motivates everything - money.
Wall Street is watching this battle in Utah closely, and more than one exec has been quoted as saying public schools are ripe for private reform. What does that mean? Well, look at health care. Hospitals used to be sponsored by public organizations - churches, states, etc. With privatization came really nice hospitals, but with a really nice pricetag to match. Privatizing education (which is their aim - for profit) will indeed create amazing schools and education, if you can afford it. The health care crisis we're facing now could foretell what may happen in the future for our children's children and education. We can't do that to kids in America - as a raging believer in capitalism and letting the markets take their course, I still believe education needs to be one thing exempt from private markets because it has to be available to everyone. Put the money into improving public education, don't get us into the privatization battle with this vital link to the american dream.
I have nothing against private schools. Maybe this will be our future no matter what because private schools will just be the way to go, but what Wall Street is interested in is the TAX DOLLARS that will be funding the revolution.
Choice in education. Parents HAVE choice in education. Homeschool, Charter School, take your kid to another school in the city if they're not doing well in the one closest to home - nobody cares! You CAN choose what school is best for your child. As a sidenote, something that might come as a surprise to some is that once you pay taxes it's NOT your money anymore. This isn't a donation, it's a tax. If you don't like how it's spent, take it up with the legislature, but don't expect to just get it back with your name on it to spend how you want to. That's an insane argument along the lines of "I don't own a car so I'd rather not pay taxes for roads." I mean seriously people...
The gap between the rich and the poor in America is growing. If education becomes a commodity for the rich, we'll all still pay for the result somehow.
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