Utah Uprising: Beehive State Voters Likely To Sting ALEC Voucher Scheme
Utah’s voucher bill is indeed radical. It would offer vouchers worth $500 to $3,000 annually to virtually any parent in the state.
Back in 1988, Utah voters were given a chance to determine the fate of a tuition tax credit measure that appeared on the state ballot. To say they did not think much of the idea is an understatement. Voters trounced it, 70 percent to 30 percent.
Residents of the Beehive State may soon have the opportunity to beat back religious school aid again. It looks like a recently passed voucher bill is headed for the ballot.
Utah lawmakers passed the measure earlier this year, and it was signed into law by Gov. Jon Hunstman Jr. Critics pointed out that the measure was an odd fit for the state. Utahns are happy with their public schools. Ninety-six percent of the state’s children attend public institutions. There aren’t even many private schools in Utah, which is a largely rural state.
In fact, the measure was pushed through by out-of-state ideologues. A group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) was determined to make Utah an experimental laboratory for its radical ideas to privatize education. ALEC feted legislators, sent them on junkets around the nation and wrote “model legislation.”
Utah’s voucher bill is indeed radical. It would offer vouchers worth $500 to $3,000 annually to virtually any parent in the state. Even the super-rich would get a voucher under this plan!
The idea is extreme, and Utahns are fighting back. Proponents of public education quickly gathered 131,000 signatures to put the new law to a vote. Only 92,000 were needed, so it’s virtually assured that the measure will win a spot on an upcoming ballot. (Gov. Hunstman will decide when.)
“This is an unprecedented outpouring of support for public education,” said Pat Rusk, former Utah Education Association president and spokeswoman for Utahns for Public Education, the group that organized the signature drive. “When we began, the experts told us we would never be successful in an all-volunteer effort – sometimes experts are wrong.”
Yes, it’s an impressive accomplishment. Utah’s voucher bill was passed in February, which means these signatures were gathered in a little over a month. The people of Utah, it seems, have some serious qualms about ALEC’s agenda and this misguided voucher bill.
We salute our allies defending public education in Utah and pledge to work with them to see that history repeats itself. Voters must see this through to its logical conclusion and solidly defeat vouchers at the ballot box.