Your Public Education Money at Work-For Private Education

This blog belongs to me, but I promised myself (and my wife) that I would not stoop to foul language, etc., because my grandchildren might read one or more of these posts.  But right now, I would really like to dispose of that ban. 

But I will not do that. 

It's just that the Utah so-called Legislature has only been in session for 4 whole days and already I am so mad I can not type properly. Might need to check my blood pressure. 

Utah voters, citizens like you and I, rejected school vouchers in 2007 by forcing the issue to a referendum on the ballot. The voucher bill in 2022 failed to pass the state house of representatives as the governor had threatened to veto it. But Big Republican Government and its financial supporters like big business and private schooling wants vouchers, so Candace Pierucci (R-Riverton) is trying again. Oh, wait a minute, this is not a voucher bill; it is a pay raise for teachers! (With a "scholarship" fund for charter, home school, or private education.)  That's right, a pay raise for teachers! The initial proposal is for a $6,000.00 raise for teachers, a raise that is well past due and still not enough, in my humble opinion. BUT, the raise is tied to final approval and signature from the governor to allow an "Utah Fits All Scholarship" payment of $8,000 to parents for use as payment of private school tuition fees, or other uses, such as home schooling.

Eight Thousand Dollars! $8,000.00 per student in scholarship funds from public tax money going to send children to private schools. Should the student need to go back to public school for any reason, the $8,000.00 does not follow the student to the public school, but goes back to the scholarship fund; and, as the student was initially enrolled in private schools, there is no weighted pupil unit for his education at the public school. 

To understand one part of the multitude of mistakes in HB 215, here's a quick brief on the Weighted Pupil Unit in Utah education. WPU is the amount of money each public school is allowed for each student. Currently in our great state, that WPU is $4175.00. That is all the Utah State Tax Money that is provided to public schools by the Utah legislature.

One more time: The State of Utah, a state that prides itself on family values, etc., etc., only provides $4175.00 per year to educate each and every child. BUT state representative Pierucci, a Republican from Herriman, wants the state to send $8,000 of YOUR TAX MONEY to any charter school or private school, or private educational service provider, so little John Smith or Sally Young do not have to go to public schools. 

As of today, Jan 22, 2023, this bill has passed the house and is on its way to the State Senate, where passage is deemed very likely. 

Rep. Pierucci is playing a high stakes game of chicken here, and the teachers and education in Utah will lose no matter what. In 2022, Utah Governor Spencer Cox stated "When teachers are making $60,000 a year to start, I will fully support vouchers. I'm all in on vouchers. But we have a long way to go before we get there." (February 2022 PBS monthly press conference.) Currently, the starting wage for teachers in Utah is $45,000 annually. So, Pierucci is betting the Governor will not veto this bill as it does raise teacher salaries about $6,000 per year. If the bill fails to pass the state senate, or if Governor Cox vetoes the bill, the teacher raise will only be $3,000. Sadly, Governor Cox is not known for his steadfast approach to government, so he might just sign away some of your tax dollars.

Right now, this bill has not been acted upon in the Utah State Senate; so you still have an opportunity to let your state senator know how you feel about this important issue. To locate your senator, go to le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp. 

There are other issues in this bill that are also worth examination, but this is the major battleground. To read about the other impacts, go here: https://myuea.org/wp-content/uploads/HB215-Issue-Brief-FINAL.pdf

Thank you for reading; if this issue is as important to you as I hope it is, please let your state senator know how you feel. 

Your comments are always welcome, please click the word "comments'  in the white box below and write away! 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

A follow up- I received a form e-mail from my State Senator, Wayne Harper, asking what I thought about this issue. I emailed him a copy of this article. I'll let you know if he responds.