Myths Vs. Facts

There is a lot of misinformation out there about school vouchers. You've probably heard some alarming claims about how vouchers will hurt public schools. But those claims ignore facts and history.

Opponents often talk about what they are afraid might happen, without ever talking about what actually has happened.

Voucher programs exist in many states across the country, and they have led to great success for students who use them and for students who choose to stay in public schools. Don't be scared by accusations that are designed to frighten you into opposing vouchers. Let's look at the facts. The facts prove it: Referendum #1 is good for kids and good for public education. Vote FOR Referendum #1.

FACT: Referendum #1 will help public schools in three ways:

1. Increase per student funding in public schools. When students use a scholarship to switch to a private school, the public still gets funding for that child. That extra money can be used to reduce class size, invest in new technology, or provide raises to hard-working teachers.

2. Ease the burden of the coming enrollment crisis. More than 150,000 new children will be entering the system in the next ten years. Our public school classes are already bursting at the seams. Referendum #1 will shift some of that growth to private schools, where space already exists, at a much lower cost to taxpayers. That leaves more money available for public schools, and will help them better handle thousands of new students.

3. Increase parental involvement. Referendum #1 provides real choice to all parents, which means they will have real incentive to be involved in school. As any teacher will tell you, involved parents lead to successful students. Referendum #1 also provides a direct link between schools and parents so that schools and principals will answer to moms and dads instead of politicians and bureaucrats.

And the facts prove it. Studies have shown that programs like Referendum #1 lead to higher funding in public schools.

FACT: Referendum #1 is targeted to benefit low- and middle-income families.

The very wealthy already have school choice. They can afford to send their kids to private schools without a voucher, or to buy expensive homes in neighborhoods with the best schools.

Referendum #1 will level the playing field, giving your family the same choices that wealthy families already have. In fact, wealthy students already in private schools don't qualify for a scholarship.

When students transfer from public schools, class sizes are naturally reduced. And since public schools keep the funding locally, the students who remain also get increased funding. Referendum #1 will benefit all students, not just those that choose a different school.

FACT: Referendum #1 will provide better accountability for both private and public schools by holding schools accountable directly to parents instead of bureaucrats.

Real accountability comes when parents have real choices, and are armed with facts and information. So, Referendum #1 requires schools to:

• Go through an independent financial review to verify that they are financially stable, and that they track scholarship funds separately from other tuition
• Give a formal national test every year and publish the results (public schools only do this in third, fifth, and eighth grades)
• Hire teachers will bachelors or higher degrees, or other special skills, and publish those qualifications to parents
• Publicly disclose all the services they offer as well as their accreditation

Then, parents have the control. They get to choose the school that best meets their child's needs.

Referendum #1 also increases accountability between parents and local public schools. Local principals and administrators will answer to parents, instead of just school boards. Wisconsin's scholarship program led to increased local control and parental involvement. Local principals now control 95 percent of their budget at the school level, so they can respond to the needs of local families. That's just what we need in Utah.

FACT: Public schools are already segregated, largely by income.

• Schools in South Provo, Downtown Ogden, or on the west side of Salt Lake City have students that are almost entirely poor and minority.
• Schools in Highland, Cottonwood Heights, and Bountiful's hills are almost entirely wealthy and white.

That's because students are assigned to schools based only on where they live rather than how schools perform, or what children need. Where families live is mostly based on income. But when families choose schools, instead of having bureaucrats draw arbitrary boundaries, schools become less segregated.

Just earlier this year, studies proved that students who use vouchers attended schools that were more diverse, not less.

Wealthy families already have such choices, and their kids get the benefits of attending the school of their choice. Referendum #1 will level the playing field and make that option available for all Utah families.