In a taped conversation, a lobbyist for vouchers in Utah said what everyone suspected: “I can’t say this is a recall of public education, even though I want to destroy public education. I can’t say that. The Legislature can’t say that because they’ll be just scraped over the coals.”
She said the quiet part out loud.
She was supposed to say that vouchers would give every child a chance to get a better education.
She forgot to say that vouchers would enable EVERY child to get a great education “regardless of their zip code.”
She forgot her talking points.
She said what she and her team say when there are no reporters or recorders around. The goal is “to destroy public education.”
When the story was published, the lobbyist apologized for saying what she believed.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
She should have also said that she and her team actually want to destroy democracy. Public schools have been a very large part of the foundation of this country’s democracy and the actually greatest of this country.
She and her team, along with many other, need to openly admit they want the destruction of democracy. It is clearly their goal in life.
The lobbyist is mother of 5. The state rep who introduced the legislation to advance vouchers formerly worked for the Sutherland Institute which believes the …church…. is better at solving problems than the government. The goal is theocracy.
There was ZERO sincerity in her “apology.”
I have a feeling that if one looks beneath her surface language, she was actually apologizing to her donor puppet masters for saying the quiet part out loud.
Iowa is in similar bad shape; the Twitter replies to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds singing the praises of voucherizing the entire state has been met with an avalanche of criticism.
How dare these governors tear down the bedrock of American democracy?
How dare they?
I am praying that the voters in those red states keep their anger alive long enough to vote these democracy destroyers out of office.
Won’t happen in Utah. Utahns would vote for Atilla the Hun if there was an R next to his name.
Atilla the Hun, Mike Lee. Six of one, half a dozen of another.
There are redeeming characteristics of Atilla
Yeah, I was thinking of Mike Lee, Chris Stewart, and Trump when I said it.
@0 years ago, before I retired from public school teaching, I made a case before a group about vouchers being solely about destroying public education altogether. I made. I felt, an airtight case (as did the persons I was addressing) I have never seen, heard, or read any criticisms of what I presented then or since. I assumed – as a rough estimate – of the voucher amount being $7K. How ould that help? Posh private schools cost upwards of #35K and higher – so $7K won’t enable regular students to go to them. What about lower income students? What can they do with the money? Where can they go? Maybe to some local, church run school – but how would that provide the services of a well funded public school? The BIG, BIG recipient is Parochial schools, which, when Vouchers are approved, almost double their tuition! So, again, who will it help? Parochial students will now be going to a school that has more money, but the voucher will not help anyone who couldn’t afford the school in the first place. Public school funding will be slashed. And all of this will happen before ANY public school student will have made a change in schools! Vouchers will automatically apply to student who are already attending private and religious schools. SCOTUS has recently violated, and set a new ‘precedent for’ undoing separation of Church and State. Thus this atrocious attack on public education should sip right in. We can blame anyone who voted Republicans into office – those who did this can’t say they ‘didn’t know’ or that they are in any way surprised by this. THINK ABOUT IT! – DOING AWAY WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS?? Have any of you out there have any idea what this will do?
The Utah voucher is $8000, which is still too low for most private schools, but is DOUBLE Utah’s WPU.
For those of us self-diagnosed with AIIDS* what is WPU?
*AIIDS = Acronym Identification Impairment Disorder Syndrome. (To be included in the DSM-X.)
The WPU in Utah is $4000. The voucher is $8000. And we have very few parochial schools here.
Does this also go to home schooled kids? Which, I would assume, is a larger per capita constituency in Utah than just about any other state.
If yes, then taxpayers would be subsiding things like this:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/home-school-nazis-telegram-dissident-saxon_n_63d596c4e4b01a43638e6a0a
Both Utah and New Hampshire passed voucher bills that pays homeschoolers. Other states as well.
Yep. Home schooled parents, too. There was even an “improvement” by giving a half voucher (AKA the entire WPU) to kids who homeschool part of the time and go to public school part of the time.
prenestino-
The state rep who introduced legislation that advances vouchers, formerly worked for the Sutherland Institute.
The Institute states that it believes the…church… is better at solving problems than the government. Utah, unlike many central states that have a conservative Catholic government e.g. Ohio and Indiana, has a largely Republican Mormon political sphere of influence. I presume the voucher goal is to create tax-funded schools for the Mormon sect.
Neighboring Idaho which has a a strong presence of Christian nationalists has both Mormon and conservative Catholic influence.
Media and influencers promote the narrative that protestant evangelicals are the power behind the religious right. They exclude Mormons and conservative Catholics from their reporting about political activity. Btw- a co-founder of the religious right was the Koch’s Paul Weyrich who was Catholic and a founder of ALEC.
Protestant evangelicals are characterized as dimwits from the south and, Appalachian-types in pockets of rural areas. Their politics can then be denigrated. But, because Catholics and Mormons are characterized to the public as intelligent, their church-driven conservative politicking for the same causes as protestant evangelicals, is hidden through omission. The impression is created that religion isn’t driving the similar Mormon and Catholic, anti-public education, “babies and Jesus”, and anti-woman campaigns.
“Protestant evangelicals are characterized as dimwits from the south and, Appalachian-types in pockets of rural areas.”
Who is doing the characterization? For what purpose?
Getting into the weeds-
The Catholic transition to Republican voting occurred in the central red states. Media is in the northeast where Catholics are still largely liberal and vote Democratic. Media and influencers are very resistant to calling out Catholic Church politicking for the GOP. They feel it will be perceived as an attack against all Catholics, many of whom are friends or who are in their personal orbits. The strong tribalism in religion has risks to those who appear to threaten the tribe’s church.
I’ve read the reporting in media by a number of university professors. They run interference for Catholic politicking by
focusing exclusively on “Christian” (understood by the public to be protestant) nationalism.
The bias protects a powerhouse which includes Leonard Leo, Steve Bannon, many of the Fox on-air personalities, Matt Schlapp, the SCOTUS conservative Catholic majority, almost the entire elected political top tier in Columbus, etc.
Continuation-
The right wing religion angle is too obvious to ignore so a palatable enemy had to be identified. Evangelicals in the South (and, elsewhere in central and mountain states) are convenient targets because they aren’t among the associates of Northeast media nor, are they often linked to university professors who write for media. Evangelicals are seen as uneducated. Piling on is a no risk, easy answer.
Pat Buchanan who is conservative Catholic is credited with popularizing the term, “culture war.” The terminology distances conservative religion from the political wins of the Catholic church.
@0 at beginning is a clerical error it should be 20 years ago
The key word is, “Chance.” A great education, shouldn’t be a chance, but rather an assurance for every child. Deregulation and a competitive market place means differential quality with little democratic oversight or control. Human rights, such as education, should not be a matter of either luck or the savvy of parents.
Behind all of this is the perception that public education is a failure. Across the board, those who advocate for alternatives to the way we do things, feel that the way we are doing things is coming up short. Even people who regularly comment on this forum share this view. For example, I feel abolishing all testing is in order, given the misuse of the collected data(I will beat Duane to it, editing out Data and substituting feces in its place).
So what is the difference? People like this rather slipshod commentator want to tear everything apart. Like Bannon, who wants to dismantle the state, they want all the house to come down. not just education, but public health, Social Security, and a long list attached to any conversation you have with this milieu. They want it all gone. Those Americans are not tough enough. We have ruined them by pampering them. Time to Memphis a few more Miscreants and get this house back in order.
So, if you want the society that dominates rather than redeems, this line of thought is your best bet
Roy, what they want to put is place has already failed. They are paid not to notice or they just don’t care.
Years ago in a college class, there was a big argument that centered around the failure of capitalism. I intervened on behalf of the system, suggesting that all the arguments on the table were just tearing down the house. I was met with hostility.
Today, the right is in the same position as that class was. Tear it down. Don’t offer any solution to problems associated with your ideas. Just rip it up.
“Failure” is the talking point. Theocracy is the goal ergo, Steve Bannon. For the GOP, the desire to preserve colonialist rule by White males who view themselves as Alpha and God-chosen is preferable to the survival of the U.S.A.
Republicans are attracted to rule by blood-thirsty men like Putin.
Roy,
No need to edit out ‘data’. I can compromise sometimes. We can have our cake and eat it too! I propose to call it “shit data” ” or “data that is crap”.
Yes, they do want to destroy PUBLIC education because it’s “socialism,” meaning well-to-do people have to pay taxes for it, and it benefits mostly the “underclasses” economically. Also, it often allows for freedom of thought–so that some kids also become socialists, or agnostics. Many church leaders would rather not compete with
Thanks for the addition of “church.”
The Republican state rep, mentioned in the post’s link, who introduced legislation which would advance the voucher lobbyist’s agenda, formerly worked at the Sutherland Institute. At the Institute’s site, readers will learn the organization’s goal… churches… are better at solving problems than the government.
A lot of time has been spent by defenders of public education, tagging Bill Gates and his ilk of profit takers for their attacks against public schools. How much time and influence have been squandered by ignoring conservative religion’s campaign against public education?
whoops…compete with public education.
Yeah, these groups are SO disingenuous. And even with that creep caught on tape, the Utah State Legislature, including a couple of public school teachers and the children of several more, just made the legislation veto-proof (the idiot governor signed anyway) and referendum proof. And the governor also signed a ban on any hormonal care for transgender minors. Banner day to be in Utah–NOT. Vote with your money, people from out of state. DO NOT travel and spend money in this state. I’m horrified that the NBA is allowing the All Star game here next month and that we’re being looked at for the Olympics.
Interesting 1-15-2020 article at Marker.Medium.com, “How Mormons Built the Next Silicon Valley.” One of the attractions of Utah, according to the article, ” …Mormon’s sale heritage and a large pool of stay-at-home moms.” Evidently, those two attributes made the state successful in the multi-level marketing sector.
Yep. Multi level marketing is sadly HUGE in this state
The sponsors listed at Utah’s Charter Day on the Hill, National School Choice Week included the following businesses, Utah Beverage Assn., Verapath, Red Apple Financial and American Insurance.
Sadly not surprising
Here’s a charming couple – and their 2500 subscribers – who seem to be great candidates for ESA’s or homeschooling vouchers.
Public schools really are a crossroads and cornerstone of our democracy, folks.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/home-school-nazis-telegram-dissident-saxon_n_63d596c4e4b01a43638e6a0a?vas
Read that and was HORRIFIED. In Utah, each kid that’s being “schooled” like that will now get $8000.
In sort of a reverse-ALEC tactic, I strongly suggest every state legislator to add an amendment similar to the following on every bill pertaining to vouchers. It will also smoke out lying Democrats.
“Guardians of students currently enrolled in institutions eligible for vouchers are prohibited from accessing any new program spending.”
“I want to destroy public education.” I suppose this paid, licensed representative of an established entity also wants to destroy Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ healthcare benefits, kittens, puppies, rainbows, hot cocoa on rainy days, and dancing. Inglorious is the word that comes to mind to describe these people.
Destroying hot cocoa is the last straw. Hey mama get me my gun!
Meanwhile in Michigan, the good and the bad:
Great editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune calling out backroom dealings:
Voucher advocates want Utah families and their children to think they are doing them a favor. But all they have really done is make it more difficult for the next generation of Utahns — an increasingly diverse group that needs a strong system of public education to negotiate an ever-more complex civilization — to rise to become the kind of workers, voters and citizens we need and deserve.
A system of public education that, vouchers or no vouchers, will be responsible for educating the vast majority of our students. Right now there is a large surplus in the state’s income tax fund, which pays for education. That should be an opportunity to build up a system that was so harshly buffeted by the recent pandemic, not further undermine it.
There is much more going on here than just how Utahns pay for their schools. The whole show is another example of how our leaders basically hold their own constituents in utter contempt. How they are devoted to beating back every effort the public makes to assert its rights and see to its needs, in the hope that we will eventually just give up and allow ourselves to be ruled by a small clique of oligarchs.
https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/editorial/2023/01/29/utah-legislature-governor-have/