This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I was astounded by Paul Rolly's Sunday column, "Plan would shake up education" (Opinion, Sept. 18). He discussed legislation proposed by Rep. John Dougall, R-American Fork, that would give each Utah high school student an "individual education savings account," sort of like a debit card. That student could spend the money any way he or she wanted toward getting a high school diploma.
I hope Rolly's column was meant as a satire, but it sounded as if he thought it was a good idea. I never thought of Rolly as such a supporter of school vouchers. For Dougall's idea sounds voucher to me: it completely starves our school system for funds by opening the very meager school purse to every moneymaking program that wants to call itself a school.
Private schools would have their hands out. Charter schools would have their hands out. Online schools and others would have their hands out. You wouldn't be able to keep qualified teachers in the public school system because you wouldn't have money to pay them.
So, no, I cannot see this idea as anything but a voucher program — only worse and a lot more expensive and ruinous to the public school system.
Virgil Duval
Orem