Reader comments
Spending on voucher battle cost $8.4 million

Biblionerd | 6:14 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

Whether or not you favor vouchers, you have to admit that PCE ran the most incompetent political campaign in recent memory. How they can call themselves a "respected voice" is beyond me.

Anne | 6:32 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

Why is this news now?
Why the detail?
Why couldn't somebody in the media actually paint a picture of spending on public education DURING the debate?
A lot of us voters would have changed our views, for or against, if we had known the state ed budget, WPU policies before we voted, which was mostly based on hysterical pro and con ads, not facts.

Carlos | 6:45 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

The PCE was a poor spokesman, ran a terrible campaign, with little deep thinking.

On the other hand, the UEA and PTA ran a deceptive campaign, with little deep thinking. How they can call themselves a "respected voice" is beyond me.

News reporters and talk shows reported more on the fight than on the issues. How they can call themselves a "respected voice" is beyond me.

Comments continue below

Best Investment !!! | 6:55 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

That $8 million was the best investment in Utah education in my lifetime and I'm a grandpa.

It got people talking, thinking, debating. That many people haven't paid that much attention to improving education before. And it probably scared the socks off the folks with the budget and the power; hopefully they will improve the system.

Thanks to all who made the debate possible.

Voucher foe | 7:03 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

If you look closer to the details of these reports you'll find information even more telling. While Utahns for Public Schools had one or two big funders, they also had thousands of small local donors under $25 as well. PCE had no such local support. The final tally reflected the true voice of Utah voters, not of a millionaire and his friends. Five million dollars? Unbelievable...

Grandpa's right | 7:36 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

It was a good investment. It woke people up, including a lot of teachers who were coasting, or putting in less than their best because they are underpaid.
That is NOT to say all teachers are that way, some are very dedicated and priceless.

Now, don't misquote me.

Pablo | 7:41 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

You cannot improve public education by draining resources. If we work together, and pull our resources together as a community, we can have world-class schools. If we allow a single person to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars from the public treasury, without appropriation, on a whim, the system of public accountability will be destroyed.

The state has an obligation to provide an adequate public education. The state does not have an obligation to fund private schools, private security guards, or library vouchers (gift cards to bookstores).

Dead Horse | 8:05 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

Please let this one die. Stop giving Overstock publicity. That is all his campaign was about.

Anonymous | 8:12 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

Too bad the 8 million couldn't have been spent in the actual school system.

Leftovers!? | 9:10 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

So..., there is $627k leftover in the Public School War Chest and $16k leftover in PCE's funds. What will happen to that money???

Extra Money? | 9:12 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

The Utahns for Public Schools who now have $627431.21 need to practice what they were advocating during the election. Send that money to the school system and give a grant to those teachers who are under paid. UEA needs to stop charging teacher union dues and let them keep their money.

out of state Utah native | 9:28 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

way to go teachers and you union!!! 600 thousand dollars left over for you to NOT question you union about. when are teachers going to realize thier union is killing their proffession? i think the valid question that is not going to be answered is where is the money going now? you should ask becasue that is YOUR dues, in other words YOUR money. in the meantime the children are put in third place again. i personally am very glad my kids are not in utah schools anymore and i live in a place where i as a parent have an actual choice.
the one thing the teachers unions fear more thananything, a parent with a choice.

Disgusted | 10:26 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

I read the comments, and I would like, for once, to see a voucher opponent be willing to admit that maybe, just maybe, those who supported vouchers did so because they actually thought it would be helpful to Utah's public education. Even if the voters rejected it as a policy decision, it is disgusting that nothing but sinister motives are ever attributed to voucher proponents, and nothing but pure motives are ever attributed to voucher opponents. Are we really that blind and incapable of accepting that differing points of view might actually be honestly held?

To Anne | 10:40 a.m. Jan. 8, 2008

This is being reported now because the respective entities just had to file their final financial reports. The media didn't have access to their final income and expenditure numbers until now.

Time for the Voucher Tax Credit | 1:09 p.m. Jan. 8, 2008

Utahns...you can take up to $2,000 off your fed. income tax in the form of a tax credit when your child attends college, public or private, called the Hope Credit...da..public money for private school or our own money??

The Utah Legislature should pass legislation that provides lower and middle income parents with a tax credit (refundable) for each child that attends a private school in grades K-12 for $5,000 based on one's adj. gross income.

This way, no state money goes to a private school and parents get choice. This keeps it simple and consistent with the federal tax code.

Linda | 2:35 p.m. Jan. 8, 2008

I'm wondering if the money spent by the pro-voucher group includes the $3 million donated to Governor Huntsman, John Valentine, and Utah House Speaker for campaign contributions. I saw this information on KSL tv evening news.

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