Ogden Standard-Examiner

Both Sides Emotional in Referendum Debate

October 11, 2007

BY AMY K. STEWART

OGDEN — As judgment day for Referendum No. 1 draws closer, arguments grow increasingly heated for and against the state’s proposed school voucher program.
Voters must make up their minds by Election Day on Nov. 6.
About 50 people gathered to listen to a voucher debate Wednesday n i g h t a t St. Joseph Catholic High School, 1790 Lake St., Ogden. Some audience members stated they are for vouchers, others said they are against it and some people are still gathering information on the issue before deciding.
The debate will be available via On Demand through Comcast Cable possibly by next week, according to St. Joseph administrators, who hosted the debate.
The proposed voucher program would allow for $500 to $3,000 per child, depending on family income, to be used for private schools.
Funding for the program would not come out of the education fund, but rather from the state’s general fund, which is used for roads, law enforcement, social services and other expenses.
Speaking in support of vouchers in the debate was Leah Barker, spokesperson for Parents for Choice in Education.
Speaking against vouchers was Holly Langton, Utah PTA Education Commissioner.
The moderator was Frank Guliuzza, Weber State University’s political science department chairman.
Barker said public schools are failing its students and something needs to be done immediately: The answer is vouchers.
Langton said the money is better spent working to improve public schools rather than spend taxpayer’s dollars on private schools, which aren’t held to the same accountability as public schools.
Langton points out fewer than half the counties in Utah have private schools available to them.
Barker said, however, there are 130 private schools where 90 percent of the population lives in Utah.
Explaining the sliding scale of the voucher funding, Barker said a family living at 180 percent of the poverty guidelines would be able to receive the full $3,000 voucher.
However, Langton points out some private school tuition is much more than $3,000. How are parents supposed to make up the difference?
Barker said it was frustrating, when living in Rose Park, her children had no choice of where to attend school. Her children’s school struggled with test scores as compared to schools in wealthier areas, such as Sandy.
“The solution is vouchers,” Barker said, adding it would solve the two biggest problems in Utah education: low per-pupil funding and large class sizes.
Langton said, “The answer is to make our neighborhood schools the best.”
Barker points to the fact that last spring, 25 percent of high school seniors failed ’s exam, Basic Skills Competency Test. “We have got to start doing something new,” Barker said. “We need to decide if we want to continue to do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome,” she said. Langton said students are doing well on other assessment tests. Further, does Utah want their tax money spent on schools that are not subject to accountability?
Private schools aren’t required to have licensed teachers, audits, financial records, core curriculum, accreditation, and hours of instruction, she said.
“This is taxpayer money and it needs to have a certain amount of accountability attached to it,” Langton said.
Barker said, “I am tired of investing in the system.”