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Tuesday, October 16, 2007Room for New Students
By Lyle Hillyard
Co-chair of Executive Appropriations I am becoming more and more concerned about the high emotions the voucher debate is creating. I am not pleased with misinformation on which I believe both sides are capitalizing. I support what we did in the Legislature and believe it will not only create an option currently unavailable for some children, but will help stretch the unprecedented money being put into education. Last year, the number of students in Utah schools increased by 15,000. The price tag was over $80.0 M., just to maintain then-current per student funding levels. We fully funded that new growth and we'll fund some similar amount this year. Vouchers could help. If we had, say, 10,000 students move to private schools under the voucher program the cost for additional students would be reduced by over $50.0 M (2/3’s of the 15,000 students). 15,000 students is larger than the entire Cache County School District. The cost to build schools to house these new students are about $20,000 per child, primarily funded through property taxes. Anyone concerned about rising property tax rates should think about that. Judging by the nasty E-mails and comments I have received from the anti-voucher people, I believe they either don’t fully understand the problem or don’t care about it. In hindsight, maybe we should have made the voucher program, part of the final bill. That way, voters -- now deputized as citizen legislators -- could really understand that it is not fair to single out one part of a negotiated program without including all parts. At the very least least the people who send me the angry E-mails could also include a thank you for my small part in helping Public and Higher Ed receive (by almost 2 times) the largest increase in funding ever. Just a few thoughts.
posted by The Senate Site at 7:50 PM | Link
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8 Comments:
I don't agree with your false dichotomy. I think the issue is very clear.
Thank you for the funding increase. But I didn't know it was connected to vouchers.
Please stop cutting income taxes. We can't afford it.
The revenues from your tax cut the last two years could have been stashed away into a building fund.
It was an irresponsible tax cut.
Vouchers cost far more than they will save. The impartial analysis makes this clear.
First you cut income taxes and now you say that without vouchers we'll need to raise taxes.
This is the wrong direction.
Sen. Hillyard,
You, more than any other legislator should know that a couple good years of funding increases doesn't make-up for the decades of intentional neglect that came before it. The Education Commission of the States report on Education Funding shows that from 1994 to 2004 Utah (You) added a grand total of $25.00 per student in funding when adjusted for inflation. Not $2500.00. Not even $25.00 per year. A grand total of $25.00 per student at a time when energy, healthcare and technology costs were skyrocketing. You are responsible for the loss of music programs, librarians and many of the industrial arts programs in our schools.
I probably will vote against vouchers because I think it is a bad idea. I really really wish, however, that you all would quit touting your recent funding increases. It is just deception.
Dear Senator Hilyard,
I am sorry you have been subjected to ill-mannered citizens. That type of behavior is not necessary but perhaps indicative of constituents' frustration when they feel their legislators do not represent their values.
I have thanked several legislators for the education funding increase but it is kind of like being grateful for when someone stops slapping you in the head.
Vouchers are not the only solution, others have been offered but have not been seen as politically viable. Head tax comes to mind.
This legislation is sloppy, HB 174 verifies that HB 148 was sloppy and was rushed through the process. Referendum 1 verifies that HB 148 is sloppy and that is why I will vote against Referendum 1.
Senator Hillyard,
I too am sorry that you have received angry emails. I give my thanks to you for your part in helping to pass the large education funding increase in the last session.
This issue seems to have sparked considerable emotions on both sides. I know that people in the Governor's office have referred to those that do not support vouchers as idiots. Twice I have had signs stolen from my front lawn. So it is happening both ways.
I also agree with others that the voucher program and funding increase should not have been tied together as you suggested they maybe should have.
I have heard misinformation from numerous places, including Sen. Bramble and other legislators.
Having not read the emails that you have received, I can't speak for those that sent them as to whether they don't understand the problem or don't care. However, virtually no one that I know that supports vouchers supports it because it will solve overall education funding problems in Utah. They simply support it because they want some money to use towards private school tuition costs. I can only conclude then that they also do not understand the problem nor do they care about it. Their motivations are almost exclusively personal.
You'll also notice that the legislation you passed is called "Parent Choice in Education Act". You will notice that there is no mention of solving education funding as one of the Findings and Purpose listed in the bill. If solving education funding issues was the primary purpose for this program, why was the legislation named otherwise and why were those purposes not included? I would have thought these would have been absolutely essential in putting into the Findings and Purpose of the bill. Strangely, there is no mention of it. I can only conclude, from what was written, that there were other intentions in passing this legislation.
I believe the eduation funding issue is more complex than you and most supporters claim it is and it is doubtful in my mind that vouchers will solve these problems. As others have mentioned, there are other solutions that the Legislature appears unwilling to consider.
It's sad to me that you would see the concerned citizens of the state in such a sarcastic way as "deputized legislators" when in reality they "deputized" YOU to REPRESENT them. I agree with you that this debate has brought out the worst in so many, but I also believe it started with the legislature and their angry, vindictive reaction to the UEA walkout in 1998. (I am not a teacher nor associated with UEA)
And by the way, thanks to the legislature, our property tax RATES have been steadily DECLINING as you well know. The increased VALUES of the property may make it appear otherwise, but those of us who are part of that "bureaucracy" and who have read the Utah Foundation reports, know the truth.
We also know how many tax cuts in surplus years this legislature has passed, in spite of sharing what use to be K-12 funding with higher Ed. Oh, what will you do when you can no longer decrease higher ed funding from the general fund because it will already be ALL coming from the education fund?
I don't believe the "sky is falling" argument about not being able to fund education for our children. Our student growth rate is below the national average and other states seem to be managing and even making gains. What I do believe is that the commitment of the legislature to fund education is less than enthusiastic. That' because they believe that the system is broken and being run by "incompetent" school boards. When was the last time you attended a local school board meeting? I know my legislators have never set foot in one of our meetings. Too many of you don't really have a CLUE about what we do or how well we do it.
BTW what on earth is this NEGOTIATED PROGRAM you are talking about? Is that referring to the arm twisting that took place at the legislature, holding certain education funding hostage, until a "yes" vote was extracted?
Senator, I too have received some pretty nasty E-mails, and I am very concerned how ugly this fight has become.
My hope is that you haven't had to experience any of the intimidating and threatening late-night phone calls like we have at our home.
The fact is Senator, I do understand the problem, and I'm sorry to say that I see you and several of your colleagues as part of that problem.
If you want a thank you for doing something that should have been done a long time ago it then here it is:
Thank you.
Now lets talk about the real heroes.
Every pro-voucher candidate that ran in a targeted PCE race, and made it to the general election lost. It is very clear that the good citizens of Utah have already said NO. Maybe you had an ear infection that day and that's why you didn't hear their voice.
Thank goodness for those "citizen legislators" who understood that no means no.
Maybe you should respect those voices senator. In fact, maybe you should thank them for utilizing their constitutional right to be equals with those legislators who ignored their voices. .
They beat great odds to put Referendum 1 on the ballot and I find your disrespect for their good works sad.
But don't worry, I would never give advice that I wouldn't take myself, so in the name of decency I want to publicly thank them too, for doing what is right, and for standing up to you.
Thank you!
I'll let most of these comments lie, and people can evaluate their worth for themselves.
I do need to clarify one thing from "dbswen." When a referendum is put on the ballot, the citizens of the state become the state's legislators on that specific issue. I take that deputization seriously. No sarcasm there.
Yeah, it is a little hard to argue with well reasoned and reasonable arguments.
I personally go back and forth on the issue of Referendum #1.
But one report from the Utah Board of Education indicated that there are currently approximately 16,000 students in private schools. To think that next year we might see an additional 10,000 private school students is a bit optimistic isn't it?
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