Utahns Can Vote For School Choice Tuesday
by John Stossel - October 31st, 2007 - Real Clear Politics
Next Tuesday, Utah voters go to the polls to decide if their state will become the first in the nation to offer school vouchers statewide. Referendum 1 would make all public-school kids eligible for vouchers worth from $500 to $3,000 a year, depending on family income. Parents could then use the vouchers to send their children to private schools.
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For over a century, American children have been in the hands of education bureaucrats. For over 40 years, the government's system has been dominated by a protectionist teachers' union that puts itself ahead of the children entrusted to its members. The results are what we should expect from a monopoly financed with money extracted from taxpayers: poor quality, lack of innovation and bored children.
Here in North Carolina public schools fail so many children that more than a third simply drop out. That becomes more than half in the black community. These children know that they are not getting an education and that staying in school is a waste of time for them. I don't blame the kids. It is the schools that are failing the children. This MUST change. Parents have got to rise up in anger and demand change. The idea of competition is an idea that needs to be adopted now.
Here in North Carolina we have a great organization that is leading the charge, Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina. It is headed by a brilliant young man who has a vision for our children. Darrell Allison believes "parental school choice is an idea whose time has truly come by giving parents the financial freedom and legal freedom to choose an education that is best for their child." The founder, Chairman and driving force is a charismatic woman from Rocky Mount, Rene Jones.
Rene Jones, Chairman, PEFNC
Darrell Allison, President, PEFNC
Rene is familiar to many here because she came to Bertie County to oppose closing J.P. Law and Askewville Elementary Schools. She understands that community schools are the best public schools, but she also knows that competition is a must if things are going to get better.
These two great leaders are the best chance we have to help our public schools improve by creating competition. Darrell and Rene need your help to make this happen for our children. Please join them in their efforts to get parental choice in North Carolina.
posted by Dean Stephens @ 5:41 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
So, Dean, how did it go for school choice in Utah?
The NEA spent over $3 million to defeat it. The essense of their campaign was that it would reduce funds for the people who are currently attending public school. This is of course a lie, but then telling the truth has not been a habit of our education bureaucracy for a number of years. No one who is unhappy with the failures of our education system plan to give up.
I have been talking with many people in the school choice movement about the defeat for vouchers in Utah. Even with the huge budget and use of lies by the teacher's unions, it seemed to me that Utah parents would be interested in seeing more competition in their system. Especially competition that helped the poor. However one aspect that did not get much publicity until after the defeat was that Utah is at the top of the existing school systems in our nation. They rank 5th in the nation currently. Much of the effectiveness of the anti voucher campaign by the unions was that many who did not really understand what the issue were concerned that the vouchers might hurt their system and drop them down in the rankings. The attitude for many was that as long as Utah was at the top, leave things alone for now. Confused by the lies they decided to leave the system alone. That is sad but understandable . . . I guess.
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