There's a lot riding on next week's voucher vote
Bob Bernick Jr.
First, Utahns have the rare, but important, opportunity next Tuesday to have a direct say in how school policy is conducted in this state.
Adopting, as we have, a republic form of government, we elect governors, legislators, mayors and council members to make most of our governmental decisions for us.
Tuesday, all registered voters in the state will get the chance to vote on Referendum No. 1, private school vouchers.
And so, in the most direct way, individual Utahns will decide whether we provide tuition vouchers of between $500 and $3,000 per child to parents who send their children to private schools.
I won't try to summarize the pros and cons to private school vouchers, which were adopted by a slim vote in the 2007 Legislature.
Between all the voucher advertising now around, I suggest that you read the official Voter Information Pamphlet, which has a good, nonpartisan summary of how the new law would work, along with a few pro and con opinion pieces about vouchers. You can read the pamphlet online for yourself at elections.utah.gov.
The new voucher program, in itself, may not be as big a swing of public education operations as some may say. But over time, it has the potential to significantly change not only our public education operations, but Utah society itself.
Think how different our daily lives would be if Utah had a large religious-based private education system.
Now, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have, over time, wisely refused to operate such a K-12 system themselves. And there is no indication that church leaders would start up such a system should vouchers become law.
But whose to say that, over decades, LDS-based elementary, junior and high schools would not grow up outside of official church operations?
Utah society is unique among the states. Nowhere is one religious denomination so dominant. And, at least for now, few other states also have such a large majority of one political party.
Yes, we have constitutional and statutory restraints on the majority imposing its will on the minority. But after watching 30 years of Republican rule in the statehouse, I can say that the state governmental system has been bent to accommodate Republicans. Would a private-school system, partly funded by tax dollars, be bent to accommodate Mormons?
Vouchers should stand or fall on their own merits.
Recent comments
To wrz: I'm sure that our friends in the Office of Legislative...
Jack | Nov. 5, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.
"Typical of the mentality and scare tactics of the anti-voucher...
wrz | Nov. 3, 2007 at 12:20 a.m.
Typical of the mentality and scare tactics of the anti-voucher group...
John | Nov. 2, 2007 at 3:30 p.m.
