HB 215- The Utah Legislature's Hand Empties Your Wallet Program.

 It's all over but the crying, and the lawsuits. Governor Spencer "the Spineless" Cox has signed HB215 into law. Now we go to the courts, and Utah will spend an uncountable amount of money trying to defend a bill that never should have been written. 

It's a monetary tragedy write large on the backs of Utah taxpayers. A "law" that sends twice as much money to a private religious school as to a public school, with little to no regard as to the qualifications of the private school. In this piece of legislation, and yes I have read it, if there are less than 150 paid employees in the private school, there is no requirement for teaching credentials or for passing a background check. 

My grandchildren's public school receives $4,038.00 for each and every child enrolled. Move the children to a local charter or private school, or "Qualified Provider" and that entity will receive $8,000.00 per student enrolled. Why? Because the legislature can do it and they can't be held accountable.  

So, does $8,000.00 pay for a years education at Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City? Nope. Here, from the school's web page, is the tuition and fee structure. 

Tuition, $13,950.00; Registration Fee $600.00; Enrollment Fee $100.00 the first year, $75.00 each year thereafter; Graduation Fee $150.00. Do the math, for a first-year student, the total is $14,650.00, the senior year, $14,775.00. All athletic fees, AP classes, busing, etc., are add-ons. Uniforms are not included. In total fairness to Judge Memorial, on the website it explains that scholarships and financial aid are available. So, will  the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program move a large number of new students to Judge Memorial? Probably not, there is still a big gap between the tuition/fees and the money provided by the program, a gap of $6,650.00. I don't think, for most families, the $8,000 from the UFASP will make the difference. What it does mean is the families of students already attending Judge Memorial, and every other private/charter/qualified provider educational provider have just been given an $8,000.00 gift from the Utah state taxpayers-that is, from you and I. 

What do the students have to do to receive this gift? Simply apply. The "qualifications" for this scholarship are basically non-existent. If you are a student in the great state of Utah, you qualify. The majority of  other states that offer vouchers tie the voucher to income limits; and/or limit the amount of the voucher to the amount of the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU) for that year. Utah, in its constant effort to be special, is the only state I could find that does not take either  of those factors into account. Many of  voucher programs in other states are tax credit programs, as opposed Utah's payment program.

Utah now joins 16 states and the District of Columbia in providing school choice vouchers; although some, like Utah, call them  scholarships, The name doesn't matter, it's all the same shell game. Take taxpayer education money and give it to private schools. 

The Utah Fits All Scholarship Program? It should be called The Utah Legislature's Hand Empties Your Wallet Program. 

I'm pretty sure some lawsuits will be filed, if I find out about them, I will post an article. 

Thanks for reading, your comments are always welcome. Just click on the word "comment" in the white box below. 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

Source: Education Commission of the States.

Senator Wayne Harper's Response

 In my last post "Your Public Education money at Work-For Private Business" I ended by stating I had emailed State Senator Wayne Harper a copy of the post, and would post his response. Here, verbatim, is his response; it is posted with his permission: 

Yes Bob, I do read all my emails, not my intern nor a machine.  I appreciate your email and your concerns.  Feelings are intense from all positions on this bill.  The substitute bill that passed the House did make significant improvements, especially in accountability, testing, auditing and qualifications.  Likewise, for anyone whose child receives a scholarship, the local property taxes stay with the local school and school district as does about 20% of the WPU allocation for the student.  The other 80% is portable.  The 2022 bill failed because it had flaws. I continue to listen to each call and read each email to acquire more information and positions.

I thank Senator Harper for responding, and for is permission to post his response. 

My best efforts, and your, notwithstanding, this unacceptable  bill has now passed the Senate and is headed to Governor Cox's desk for signature. 

Please join me in calling/emailing the Governor to oppose this bill, the phone number is 801-538-1000; to send a comment to the Governor, go here: https://cs.utah.gov/s/submit. I could not find a valid publicemail address for Governor Cox. 

Thank you for reading, please comment by clicking the word "comment" in the white box below. 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

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.