Vote no on vouchers
Responding to Dale Courtney’s letter, “Missing the mark” (Tribune, Jan. 26): Sorry, but Marty Trillhaase’s editorial really hit the mark.
Tax credits drain public education. Under a tax-credit scheme, the reduced tax bill one pays to the state’s general fund means less money for public schools. Less tax collection equals less revenue.
The $50 million cap is just a starting figure that can be raised annually by the Legislature. If you think they won’t raise it, just look at other states, like Arizona, whose voucher schemes have busted their budgets.
The “one size fits all” Mr. Courtney mentions describes private/religious schools whose curriculums are opaque and unregulated, not public schools which are held to strict guidelines and are required to provide programs for special needs students. The “competition” point raised in this argument is a deliberate distraction and has no relevance. We’re not talking about a track meet. We’re talking about supporting our constitutional requirement to fund public schools.
Regarding the distractive argument about school choice? Idaho already offers public, private, religious, home, open-enrollment and micro-schools.
No data was offered to prove that voucher schemes improve educational outcomes, because vouchers don’t. Vouchers are dark-money schemes designed to soak the taxpayers and enrich out-of-state grifters such as: American Federation for Children, YES Fund for Kids, Every Kid and Young Americans for Liberty. They think we’re the uneducated that they can fleece.
Idahoans love their public schools. Besides a great education, they provide social and extracurricular activities, too.
Vote no on vouchers.
Jeannette Kelley
Cottonwood
