Vouchers don't promote 'choice'

On behalf of the 6 million members of the National Parent Teachers Association, I express dismay over the law passed by the Utah Legislature instituting a voucher program. I am pleased that the people of Utah are taking it upon themselves to reverse the recently passed legislation by voicing their opinion against a program that will hurt an already problematic public school system.

Vouchers and education tax subsidies do not provide "choice," since neither can guarantee parents that their children will be admitted to the school of their choice. There is also no strong evidence that these programs improve student achievement. Furthermore, these programs undermine accountability, since private schools are not held to the same standards as public schools.

The National PTA supports public funds for public schools only and opposes using tax dollars to finance education vouchers for private and religious schools. Vouchers divert money from public schools — where 90 percent of all school-age children are enrolled — into private schools, where the public has no oversight of how those public dollars are spent. This does nothing to improve public education. Vouchers will not ensure parental "choice." Private and religious schools may deny applications for enrollment for any reason. The "choice" in "choice programs" lies with private school administrators, not with parents.

There is no strong evidence that voucher programs, whether funded directly or indirectly through education tax subsidies, improve student achievement. Americans have consistently rejected vouchers, both in surveys and in referendums.

We hope the people of Utah continue to stand up against this poorly devised plan to take money away from our public schools. The National PTA is fully behind the Utah PTA's efforts to reverse the action of their Legislature and will help in any way possible.

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Anna Weselak is the PTA National president.