Private school vouchers

I know there are special needs children. Public support to meet the educational needs of these children is not in question. It is the correct and just responsibility of society and it's representative government.

The concept of private schools has, in many cases, evolved from one of education with sectarian religious overtones to one of education for profit. I have fewer reservations about education for profit than I do of education instilled with sectarian religious views. I do have a big problem when education for profit twists the concept of private schools into a cause to facilitate the government funding of either. This is the result of the recent legislation passed by the Utah House and Senate.

If you choose to send your children to either of these options to public school and can afford the associated costs then fine. I believe those of you who opt out of the public school system and then want the rest of us to help you pay the costs associated with your decision are spoiled and delusional. In a state which all ready ranks next to last in the country in per pupil funding of public school, it is a misuse of public trust and a pay off to the special interests who have made campaign contributions to the legislators who have voted for the school voucher bill.

I would guess, and after verification with the UEA I will edit this, that less than ten percent of the children of the state are educated privately. The ninety percent of the rest of us should be out raged. Using tax dollars to help increase the profits of "private schools" is a miss use of those tax dollars. Using tax dollars to enhance private schools oozing religious doctrines blurs the separation of church and state principles held within the constitutions of both the State of Utah and the United States of America. Expecting the ninety percent of us who send our children to public school to then pay more tax dollars to legally defend this ill conceive venture is the height of arrogance.

Think of this you 38 members of Utah's Hose of Representatives and 19 Senators who voted for this measure. If the all the members of the senior class of the public high schools within your district all registered to vote and then did so as a block against you, I doubt if any of you could be re=elected. This very notion is now in a grass roots stage of development. I believe that you, Governor Huntsman should also take a moment to contemplate this notion. By the way, how do you members of government think most of the parents of those seniors feel about this issue?

The education of our young people is of major importance to all the members of our society. But legislation which benefits such a select few to the detriment of the vast majority is unjust and should be stopped with the Governor's pen through veto before more tax dollars are spent defending a law which will sure be struck down at judicial review.

Post Script

The UEA was unable to provide the numbers necessary to substantiate my claim therefore I had to go to different factual sources. According to the National Center for Educational Statistic’s and their U. S. Dept. of Education Private School Universe Survey "Private school students represented approximately 10 percent of the total elementary and secondary enrollment in the United States in 2003 & 2004". According to numbers provided by the State of Utah, as of October 1, 2006 there were 506,449 students in public education, 19,290 students in charter schools and 16,386 in private schools. The mathematics works out to be .0658 percent of the students of the state attend private or charter schools. Utah’s rate of less than seven-percent is a bit lower than the national rate of approximately ten-percent. I’ve always liked how math can provide such a unique view of things.