The fall brings two constants to Utah’s families: the start of a new school year and elections. This year, the two are intertwined.
Utahns will see several constitutional amendments on this year’s November ballot. The Utah PTA urges every parent and public school supporter to vote against constitutional Amendment A.
You’ve read a lot about Amendment D, an effort by state politicians to take ballot initiative power away from Utah voters. There are a lot of parallels to Amendment A, as well.
Amendment A is another power grab by state politicians, who want to take funding from public schools for “other state needs.” Amendment A would completely undo Utah’s long-standing Constitutional protection for public school funding. In our current state Constitution, income tax revenue is required to be dedicated to K-12 public education, higher education and social services supporting children and individuals with disabilities. But if Amendment A were to pass, this requirement would be eliminated, creating a political piggy bank for politicians to spend on whatever they want — including vouchers for private religious schools.
The Utah PTA’s chief concern is the discrepancy between our deeply held value that our children are our future and our best investment, and at the same time, our schools are not getting the financial support they need.
The Legislature legalized vouchers in 2023 and has since put $82 million into the program, including private religious schools. Private school advocates have stated that they want $200 million in public funding supplied by taxpayers for private religious schools next year.
The public already understands that there is no accountability for their tax dollars when they go toward private schools. In neighboring Arizona, a recent report found that taxpayers paid for ninja warrior training, passes to ski resorts, golf equipment and more. Voucher supporters said that the program would cost just $64 million. That estimate has ballooned to $900 million per year, putting a giant hole in Arizona’s state budget. In Florida, 70% of voucher recipients were already in private schools. Taxpayers there saw their hard-earned money pay for big screen TVs, paddleboards and tickets to Disney World.
In Utah this year, the voucher scholarship has approved payment for study abroad programs, Cricut and Silhouette machines, greenhouses, golf clubs, kayaks, canoes and paddle boards. All extracurricular costs are also eligible, including sports teams, music lessons and art classes. The scholarship will pay for all required clothing and gear as well as the participation fees — something that many public school families sacrifice to pay for themselves. The scholarship has no limit on the number of memberships it will pay for: everything from aquariums and planetariums, out of state libraries, National Parks passes, gyms and rock climbing centers. Transportation is also covered, whether it is provided by Frontrunner, Trax or UBER.
Last year, a prominent lobbyist for Utah private schools said she wants to “destroy public education” with vouchers. She is right — that is exactly what would happen should Amendment A pass.
Ninety percent of Utah’s school-aged children attend public schools. Please join the Utah PTA in voting against Amendment A so we can stop another power grab and efforts by state politicians to defund our public schools.
(Corey Fairholm) Corey Fairholm is the president of Utah PTA.
Corey Fairholm is the president of Utah PTA, a non-profit grassroots child advocacy association made up of parents, teachers and students.
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