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Utah is getting signatures to let school vouchers go on the ballot. Let the people decide. Citizens of Utah say they want to vote on it.
To Be or Not To BeVouchers are gaining popularity nationally. School reform is taking many forms and vouchers are one option gaining popularity. Other nations fund private schools with public funds allowing parents to freely choose education for their children without money being an issue. The United States has always maintained separation of church and state and not allowed this. Whatever form it takes, school reform is an absolute necessity. The present system can not continue. UtahA legal battle may be brewing in Utah which already has a fully funded school voucher program in place. The governor, Jon Huntsman Jr., is a supporter of vouchers. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff gave a seven page legal opinion that the vouchers would stand. Pat Rusk, Utahns for Public Schools spokeswoman, is pushing for a legal battle. On the other side, The Parents for Choice in Education Act encourages true choice for parents in Utah. [Lisa Riley Roche and Erin Stewart, Deseret Morning News, deseretnews.com, March 28, 2007] June VoteIf more than 92,000 petition signatures can be gathered prior to April 9th, a special election would be called in June to repeal the voucher program. It is the opinion of the Attorney General that the voucher program will stand even if this should occur. The present program would provide Utah families with $500 up to $3000 per child per year funding to their private school of choice. The amount would be set by income allowing parents of all income brackets to freely choose the education they prefer for their children. Not A New ConceptVouchers may be new to Utah but they have been in place in Wisconsin for nearly twenty years and growing in popularity. It is estimated that over 60% of parents in Milwaukee choose to have their children attend school outside of their neighborhoods. The schools of choice are other public schools, private schools and parochial schools. It is working so well that the program grows each year. 20/20John Stossel, of the television show 20/20, recently wrote a book, Stupid in America. He revealed the injustices and questionable practices in public school education. He also investigated vouchers. The one-hour long program aired last fall exposed the teacher union's controlling practices to not allow choice in education and how it protects ineffective teachers. Utah ShowdownUtah has made national news with the voucher debate. Parents for Choice have aired TV ads explaining the true facts about vouchers to counteract misleading information. Shurtleff says, "No matter what happens this will end up in court." Related articles: Single Sex Classrooms Read previous articles on Educational Issues. Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
The copyright of the article Vouchers in Utah in Educational Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish Vouchers in Utah in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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