Provo Daily Herald

Heads or Tails, Utah Wins

October 2, 2007

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/239143/

From now until Nov. 6, the Daily Herald will focus regularly on Referendum 1, the voucher initiative that would help parents pay for private school. Voucher proponents say the plan will improve education for everyone; opponents say it leaves too many questions about unanswered. In this space, we will explore the issue in detail.

Utahns for Public Schools makes this claim on its Web site:

"Private schools ... can hire teachers who don't hold a college degree or a state teaching license."

We addressed one aspect of this claim on Monday -- its imputation that private schools will be stocked with unqualified teachers.

But let's look at the claim in another light: In a way, it insults parents.

Cannot parents assess a school? Do they know a good school from a bad one? Are they so dim-witted that they'll pick a school where all the teachers are illiterate, and then sacrifice their children to it?

We don't think so. The whole point of a parent's choosing a private school would be to get a better education for his or her child. The alleged problem, even if it exists, is self-correcting.

Vouchers give parents more choices. They will enable families to pick the best schools, public or private, whether the teachers are college dropouts (yes, there are some great teachers in this group) or have doctoral degrees.

That's why Referendum 1 is a no-lose proposition.

Let's say the measure passes. If you don't like any of the private schools, you won't send your child to them. Put another way, if any private school doesn't measure up, parents won't select it. Those schools will drop out of the marketplace, and any challenges they've posed will disappear with them.

But if vouchers pass and private schools succeed, many children will get better educations. Isn't that what we all want?

Referendum 1 will be voted on Tuesday, Nov. 6. We urge all voters to make their voices heard on this vital issue.