tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24674406.post3598410934445945640..comments2011-02-21T13:46:35.335-07:00Comments on JuniperWest: The War on SchoolsHeidihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09842403440920377465noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24674406.post-7508782410142596552007-02-05T14:51:00.000-07:002007-02-05T14:51:00.000-07:00Hey, I'm not saying private schools are bad...what...Hey, I'm not saying private schools are bad...what I'm saying is that public dollars should go to schools that are accountable to the public. <br /><br />My tax dollars should go to schools that I can influence...that may be a difficult endeavor, but unless I send my children to a private school, I will never have a say in what they teach.Heidihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09842403440920377465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24674406.post-33520297706507416012007-02-05T14:41:00.000-07:002007-02-05T14:41:00.000-07:00I'm confused by your arguments against vouchers. ...I'm confused by your arguments against vouchers. The average voucher will only be about $2,000, yet we spend over $6,000 per student in the public schools. Even if Utah gave a voucher to every student currently in a private school, the voucher program would still save the state money so long as only 2% of the student population switches from public schools to private schools. And since you and your friends seem to think that everyone and their dog is about to switch to private schools with a voucher, the state is looking to save A LOT of money that could then go back into our public schools or into any other public need like roads, etc.<br /><br />Here's another point to consider. Children First Utah gives half scholarships to low income families in Utah. The average family receiving their scholarship makes only $25k a year and spends over $2,000 a year to make up the difference between the scholarship and tuition. That means that on average, their tuition is only costing $3,500 a year. <br /><br />You might wonder if these $3,500 a year schools could possibly be better than the local public schools. Well, could you imagine that a low-income parent who is heavily involved in their child's education would pay $2,000 out of pocket to send their kid to a worse school than the free one in their neighborhood that even provides transportation??<br /><br />I just read in the paper the other day that Children First Utah turned away 2,000 applications because it only had enough funds for 375 scholarships. They do little if any advertising. <br /><br />Now if over 2,000 low-income parents are dying for a $1,500 scholarship, how many more low-income parents would find a $3,000 voucher helpful in getting their children the education they need?<br /><br />And finally, private schools receiving vouchers would have the highest acocuntability there is--direct accountability to parents. We've tried to implement this in our current public school system through school boards and community councils, but it hasn't worked. The school boards do what they want regardless of what their constituents say. The people making the decisions are too many levels away from the people who are affected their decisions. This will change with vouchers.<br /><br />Can I guarantee that every voucher school will be awesome? No, but I can guarantee that overall, more children will be getting an education that works for them.<br /><br />And concerning the extremist school scenario, are there any extremist schools existing currently in the private sector in Utah?? Are there any existing in current voucher and tuition tax credit programs across the US? Do you know anyone that would send their kids to an extremist school? That's what I thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com