From: rosinski@isis.cgd.ucar.edu (Jim Rosinski)
Subject: Re: =>School Vouchers (Amendment 7)<=
Organization: Climate and Global Dynamics Division/NCAR, Boulder, CO
Distribution: co
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 02:24:23 GMT

Since someone else brought up the School Vouchers amendment issue, I'll post
the text of it (amendment 7) now rather than in order as I had originally
planned in my "Radical's Perspective" series.  My $0.02 follows the text.

Amendment 7:

SHALL THERE BE AN AMENDMENT TO THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION REQUIRING THAT ALL
STATE MONIES APPROPRIATED FOR GENERAL SUPPORT OF KINDERGARTEN, ELEMENTARY, AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION BE APPORTIONED AMONG COLORADO STUDENTS IN THE FORM OF
VOUCHERS; AUTHORIZING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO SIMILARLY APPORTION LOCAL TAXES
RAISED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES AND FUNDS APPROPRIATED FOR EXISTING CATEGORICAL
SERVICES; PROVIDING THAT THE OBJECT OF SUCH APPORTIONMENTS IS TO AFFORD A
CHOICE OF EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN COLORADO, INCLUDING GOVERNMENT
(PUBLIC), NON-GOVERNMENT, AND HOME SCHOOLS; AND PROVIDING THAT, WITH RESPECT TO
ANY SHARE OF SCHOOL COST CHARGED TO THE LOCAL PROPERTY BASE, A STUDENT FOR WHOM
A VOUCHER IS USED FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES SHALL BE COUNTED FOR ATTENDANCE
PURPOSES ONLY TO THE EXTENT THAT SAID SERVICES ARE PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT OF THE CHILD'S RESIDENCE?

Dick Dunn lists some reasons why School Vouchers are a bad idea:

> 1. [Tax money] should not be handed over to parents as if it were "theirs"
> to spend.  [...] Where is the logic (let alone the fairness) in taking money
> from us and giving it to others, to spend at their discretion without any way
> for us to say what's done with it?

This is nonsense.  Unlike many government giveaway programs (e.g. welfare,
AFDC, farm subsides) school vouchers will *not* be redeemable for beer,
cigarettes, whores, or anything else not directly related to the cost of
educating a child.  Sheesh.  Can't people learn a *little* bit before
embarrasing themselves by flaunting this kind of ignorance?

> 4. [...] While I have no objection to private schools with
> religious teaching as part of their curricula, if *my* tax money is being
> given to parents so they can send their children to religious schools, then
> I am being taxed to support a religion.  

This is the most common objection to vouchers I've encountered.  What I fail
to understand is why those who object to vouchers for K-12 education on these
grounds never complain about programs like the GI Bill or GSL's (Guaranteed
Student Loans).  Neither of these taxpayer-funded programs have exclusions
built in for religious institutions.  To those concerned about using taxpayer
dollars for religious indoctrination in private schools I ask: Are you not
equally concerned about *government* indoctrination with taxpayer dollars in
government schools?  Personally, I find teachings such as the Pledge of
Allegience and the biased patriotic portrayal of American history which exist
in public schools just as offensive as the teaching that Jesus died for my
sins.

Vicki Holzhauer writes:

> [...] The voucher concept seems basically elitist
> anyway ... from what I've read, parents will get a voucher for
> $2200-2500 to use as they choose, but private school tuition is
> considerably higher than that.  

Last year when Boulder Valley School District taxpayers voted to increase
property taxes to pay for schools, I did some research on relative costs of
private vs. public education.  I posted and referenced figures which showed
that based on 1989 data, the average yearly cost of a private K-12 education
was around $2400 in the U.S., while the cost in a public school K-12
student-year was over $4500!  Pretty sobering statistics.  So much for the
argument that vouchers are "elitist".

The primary beneficiaries of a properly-implemented Voucher System will be
the *poor*, not the rich.  If I wanted to start a private school, I'd locate
it wherever the most potential paying customers (students) were.  Given a
$2500 per student voucher, that location would be where the *worst* schools
are--the poorest inner city areas.

Before making up your mind on Amendment 7, ask yourself why it is that the
group screaming loudest against School Vouchers is the Teacher's union.  If
something smells rotten, it probably is.


Jim Rosinski



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