Why wasn't this story given along with the negative story at the top about Byrne?
The public schools didn't teach my children to read. I pulled them out and home schooled them and they are now excellent readers and can teach themselves anything.
I graduated in Education too and I know that the teacher colleges aren't teaching correct reading methods. We need to return to the phonics of the McGuffey Readers and Noah Webster's Blue Back Speller. That is what I had to do and it has worked with every student that I have tutored. The Public schools either won't listen or say that they have to use the program that the district mandates.

I don't have money to donate to this cause of correcting the Public School System but I continue to volunteer my time to the highly discouraged students and graduates that cannot read.

I think it's great that Bryne has invested in Education for the disadvantaged. I appaud his commitment to education. I don't agree though that vouchers are the answer to improving education in Utah. He's been here 8 years with a desire to get closer to the snow. I don't think that qualifies him to be a judge of Utah schools. Historically New England was a leader in starting Public Schools. It's a place where education for everyone is important. That's why Bryne's commitment to vouchers to a group of citizens that could seperate themselves as elites from the common man doesn't make sense to me. Public schools are what made our country great. Vouchers is a step backwards to a society that rewards the haves and makes the have nots beg from crumbs. The scare tactics used by the pro-voucher side to intimidate people into voting for vouchers does not serve our society well. I already voted NO on referendum 1 because I don't believe in handouts/entitlements for people who already have the choice to send their children to any school they want to. I also believe we should invest in our public schools, not in a second school system.

You say you don't have the dollars but you do have what we all have and that is time. Local school boards are were a lot of the decisions are made about curriculum. The teachers are just telling the truth that they have to teach waht the school board mandates or be fired! Contact your local school board, voice your concerns, organize other like-minded people and work for change. Vouchers won't change anything about your concerns.

I will no longer purchase anything from Overstock.com based on Mr. Byrne's philosophy of public education. He is very misguided in how to improve education -- especially in Utah.

I miss phonics based instruction, but it wasn't needed for me to learn to read. My sister who was in Kindergarten taught me to read and I was only four. She didn't teach me phonics though. After all she was only five herself.

Oh those nice one-source puff pieces ... He's not quite as saintly as the story suggests. Among the things the reporter left out was Byrne's leadership role in dragging the voucher debate into the gutter. He has called opponents of vouchers "bigots." And last week the NAACP demanded an apology from him after he said that Utah minorities who don't graduate from high school might as well be burned or thrown away. His track record in other places where he has attempted to buy education policy suggests a similar MO.

TO: Instereo

Vouchers are not designed to help the wealthy. The voucher is based on the tax income bracket you are in. Poorest get the 3500.. weathy get $500. This bill is designed to help those in the poorest income bracket be able to aford a private school around the 5000$ and below range.

$500 is a drop in the bucket for the has... $3500 is quite a bit for the hasnots!

I don't here too many stories about who is really helping out the kids. I work for the Office of Education for over 28 years, and Bill Gates is funding a technology project for kids in the California School system and many more.

It is nice to see that Byrne is helping and making a difference. I like that, I did not know him and now I do. It is nice to put a face with OverStock.com. The big news should cover these kind of stories.

I love anyone that helps Africa, it is my passion! I said over eight years ago, I would support anyone that support Africa. It looks like it's Byrne

Thanks.

I love this story, and I support anyone that support Africa. At least he is helping out, people should not complain if they are not helping out!

Thanks for the story, we do not hear about stories like this.

Thanks! Byrne is OK. . . .

My bad: HB-148 line 97 lost its 7; it should've said line 97, not 9. That makes fully eligible for vouchers' illegal lottery, all children "NOT a Utah resident on January 1, 2007". Its purpose was to bring in US and worldwide voucher voters at the expense of voucher foes: a touch of Tammany.

Utah private pupils can't yet apply; first-year can in 2008; K-1 in 2009, etc. If Utah's 16,000+ private pupils could all apply immediately, they'd do so, but at obvious high up-front cost and more total cost, instead of private parents continuing to pay.

But wait: obviously all private pupils could apply if they just quit their private schools and went however briefly to a public school, becoming eligible. But they may not all leave if that might close down their private school. Not to worry: The state estimated 11,000 (2% of public pupils) may
opt for private vouchers; but voucherites claim it'll be far higher -- up to 18,000 or more, enough to replenish the no-longer-vacated private schools.

Legislators will doubtless rush to correct this "unanticipated" (yet obvious) new need for more vouchers. How many "oops operations" do they get? Apparently, many; public schools: few.

Again, is this the kind of society we want to become? One where the rich movers and shakers make public policy decisions for all of us--because they're better for some reason???

Our public system fulfills public objectives and we pay for it as a public. Our education system is what we call a public good, something that we want to happen.

People are still free to make private choices in our society, but to blur the boundaries between the two areas blurs the lines and I think we would find the private wouldn't be so free anymore with public money and the public wouldn't fulfill our public purpose that well anymore.

Patrick Byrne's inordinate influence in our public arean simply because of his money is a disgusting betrayal of our American ideals. And people supporting this because of their own money interests are selling out the vision we have hoped to accomplish in our society.

Vouchers do nothing more than allow people to withdraw from the larger society on the public's dime, essentially exiting the hard debate surrounding the amibitious task of providing a free and accessible education for all.

Survival of the fittest only works for the fit.

Homer,

Respectfully suggest you stop worrying about "the public system" and its "public objectives" and start worrying about the children.

By the way, if my influence is inappropriate, is that of the NEA's also?

Patrick M. Byrne

Homer, and all naysayers;
Public schools may have been the ideal, but they have fallen behind in educating kids. Our schools here are among the worst in the nation, you have a standard of education that is above most others. Our public schools used to prize education and helped develop children into capable adults... not so any more. Public policies are failing our children. The wealthiest families do not send their children to public school anymore, because they do not want them to suffer educationally. If you are in favor of public schools, then by all means send your kids to them... but if someone else wants better for their children, why should you deny them. Just because you think public schools are good enough for everyone, it doesn't give you the right to tell others they have to share your beliefs

Anonymous in NV