Davis County Clipper

Burningham takes on Eyre at voucher debate

October 18, 2007

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SALT LAKE CITY — Helping to get area residents more informed before the Nov. 6 vote, the Rotary Club of Salt Lake City recently hosted a school voucher debate featuring State Board of Education Chair Kim Burningham and Parents For Choice in Education Spokesman Richard Eyre.

The debate took place at the Salt Lake City Marriott Hotel on 75 S. West Temple, and former Utah State Senator Patrice Arent served as the moderator.

Burningham, who is against vouchers, was the first to speak and used a projector screen flashing key points and pictures to prove his case.

“The voucher law is fundamentally flawed, and vouchers would do nothing to help Utah families,” he said. “The voucher law provides little accountability, and some schools that accept vouchers are not even required to be accredited like public schools.”

Burningham also said vouchers would not help the majority of Utah families because most of the state’s private schools are only in larger urban areas.

“More than half of Utah’s counties have no private schools, and private schools can even refuse to admit students,” he said. “Even with a voucher, most families won’t be able to afford expensive private school tuition, and the current law denies the voucher to those already in private schools. Our children would be better served by investing in public schools.”

Eyre, who is in favor of vouchers, spoke next and used stacks of Oreo-brand cookies to prove his points. He brought up that Utah has both the most crowded classrooms and the lowest amount of pupil per spending in the country.

“Vouchers will reduce class sizes, and with the most crowded classrooms in the country and our state’s growing number of children, think of how many new schools we’ll have to build to serve the thousands of new students that will come into the public school system over the years,” he said. “How great would it be if some of those kids could go to private schools and leave more space and money for other kids coming into public schools.”

Eyre, who had sent all his children to public schools, also said he supported the public system, and that public schools are the reason why he is for vouchers. He also mentioned that even if vouchers pass, it is predicted that a large percentage of parents will continue to leave their children in public schools.

“With vouchers the private school parent will win because they have the choice over where their child goes to school, and the public school parent will win too, because the public school will become less crowded while the amount of per pupil spending will get larger,” he said.

“I want to give parents another option, and if they choose to use it that’s fine, and if they don’t that’s fine also. Vouchers will also cause private schools to have more diversity and expand in many ways.”

dradunich@davisclipper.com