Today I received the announcement below about a pro-school voucher rally called, “Stand Up for Utah Kids: School Choice Rally”. I’m not sure how I got on this list, nonetheless I am and got the announcement. The state legislators passed a measure this year that would allow parents to obtain vouchers for private schools if they so choose. Keep in mind that many of those legislators have children who are home schooled (leaving me wondering if a bill in the future will propose that parents be paid to home school their kids…..).
There is a lot that bothers me about this announement, but right off the bat you can see that this rally is in the middle of the day. It seems that the only folks who might be able to afford to participate would be those who are bosses and those who don’t have to work, thus reinforcing in my mind that the people who are being most vocal about this are those who can already afford to send their kids to private schools in the first place. (And remember that even if a parent wanted a voucher, it wouldn’t be enough to pay for an entire year’s tuition at a private school, leaving families with low incomes out of the loop entirely).
Another bothersome point is that these people are actually encouraging folks to take their kids out of school to attend this rally. That is assuming that the participants even have their children in school (vs. home schooling them).
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PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO YOUR FRIENDS & FAMILY
Stand Up for Utah Kids
School Choice Rally
JOIN US in support of Utah moms and dads who want to be able to choose the school that works best for their kids. Together, we can make a difference for the thousands of families who are depending on the voucher program to start THIS fall.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 15, 2007
TIME: 1:30 – 2:30 PM
WHERE: State Capitol, Salt Lake City
(courtyard north of the main capitol building)
It’s time to put KIDS before politics
By law, Utah’s new voucher program went into effect last Monday. Unfortunately, the State School Board chose to disregard the law at their recent board meeting by deciding to not implement the voucher program for this fall. We’re holding the rally on May 15th because that is the day by law that the State School Board should make voucher applications available for families.
As many of you know, the referendum/petition against vouchers is only against the first of two bills that were passed during the recent legislative session. The Attorney General issued an official opinion stating that the voucher program should move forward regardless of the referendum.
Please make this rally a priority
Together, our voices will put a human face to this important issue and pressure government officials to uphold the law by implementing the voucher program.
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HOW YOU CAN HELP |
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1. Attend the Rally 2. Spread the Word 3. Volunteer at the Rally |
If you will be attending the rally, please let us know so that we can plan appropriately. Just call (801) 532-1448 or reply to this email.
REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED.
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Parents for Choice in Education
8 East Broadway, Ste 730
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
801.532.1448
www.choiceineducation.org
I looked at the very fancy website that the advocates of school vouchers have put together (see above link). I believe this organization (Parents for Choice in Education) are advocated by/linked to Utah’s Eagle Forum, a right wing organization touting support of “family values” and “conservative principles”.
The PEC site also has a page on “supporters of choice in education”. Get this list:
Gov. Jon Huntsman, Ronald Reagan, Chester Finn Jr. (Assistant Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan), Senator John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Rep. Rob Bishop, Utah Sen. Howard Stephenson, Richard Moss (Utah State School Board), Bill Colbert (Utah State School Board)
Notice that the above mentioned “supporters of school choice” are all rich, and some dead, white guys.
‘Nuff said.
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 