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Show The Ogden Valley news Volume XIV Issue XVI Page 17 November 1, 2007 Letters to the Editor (cont. from page 2 & 3) LETTERS cont. from page 2 teacher credentials are spelled out in the school voucher bill, which can be read online. Annual student testing is also required for private schools that implement the voucher program. The anti-voucher disagreement stems from their concept of standardized education. For example, testing is required for participating private schools, but isn’t administered by the state. The tests are sent directly to parents and compared with nationwide results. The voucher bill also addresses teacher and school standards. Those include college degrees or professional credentials for teachers. Some specialized private schools require extensive training and accreditation, but not an education degree from a public university. Private schools must also have more than 40 students—in other words, be established schools—and meet other educational criteria. Those opposed to Referendum 1 argue that the standards are not sufficiently extensive, nor are they made public. The debate is heating up in the final weeks before the vote on November 6. For more information, please visit two key websites: Parents for Choice in Education (proponents of a “Yes” vote on Referendum 1) at www.choiceineducation.org where you can read the wording to the school choice bills under “Legislation,” “School Choice Bills,” and Utahns for Public Schools (who oppose Referendum 1) at <www. utahnsforpublicschools.org> Steve Scheuermann, Eden A Vote For Referendum 1 is a Vote for Utah Students I wanted to write and encourage voters to support Referendum 1 regarding school vouchers in the upcoming election on November 6—only two weeks away! I consider this to be one of the most important votes of my lifetime. I support vouchers because I believe it will help children. They stand to gain the most from this legislation and that is what matters to me. For the past ten years, I have been working with children from low income families and I’ve witnessed a trend that worries me—most of these children are performing poorly in school. Although I don’t fully understand why that is, I have also seen how the scholarship from Children First Utah has offered hundreds of children a new opportunity; I would like to see this opportunity replicated as many times as possible. It is clear to me that the only reason I have made it this far in life is because of my mom. She sacrificed everything to give me a good education and to make sure that I understood that, without it, I would not be able to get where I needed to be. Thanks to her commitment and vision, my children have never experienced the poverty I once knew. I am driven solely by the impact I believe vouchers will have on children. Over the past four years I have studied this issue and I’m excited about the possibilities it provides. We have advocates representing every segment of our population but I fear that the educational needs of children are not represented fairly—particularly low income and minority children. From my whole heart, I urge you to learn the merits of the voucher program so that you may join me in voting FOR Referendum 1. If you already have a conviction that this is good legislation for Utah’s families, I would encourage you to contact your friends and families and share with them why this matters to you. For more information, visit <www.votefor1.org> Leah Barker, Sandy Valley Resident Supports Taylor for Fire District Board of Trustees For the upcoming election for the Board of Trustees of the Weber Fire District, I am endorsing Don Taylor of Huntsville. Don has 35 years of experience of fire service, including all types of fire fighting as well as administrative duties. He is extremely well qualified to serve in this position. Ogden Valley residents are fortunate to Wingmen for Property Tax Reform At a time of unprecedented tax increases and record government surpluses, voters are being asked to approve a new .25% sales tax to fund transportation projects. This is an increase of 4% in the general sales tax, and a 5.5% increase in the sales tax on food. It would also be the third separate transportation sales tax in Weber County and it follows on the heels of an increase in vehicle fees dedicated to transportation. Let’s take a look at some facts: • We already pay a .25% "Mass Transit" sales tax plus a .25% "Additional Mass Transit" sales tax. If this proposed sales tax passes, sales taxes dedicated to transportation will increase by 50%. • Since July 1, we are paying an extra $10 vehicle registration fee for transportation corridor preservation on each registered vehicle at a cost of around $1.5 million annually. • Four separate property tax increases have already been enacted this year at a cost of millions of dollars to property owners (county, school district, mosquito abatement district, Weber Basin Water). • The state's taxpayer funded surplus was estimated to be $400 million as of October 15. Governments refuse to implement procedures to prevent taxpayer funds from being used to employ illegal aliens using our children's stolen identities in spite of the fact that: • The Attorney General "uncovered an alarm- ing new crime spree involving illegal aliens and identities stolen from victims under the private schools as far as the business aspect of it is age of 12." concerned. Both are in business to educate. Both • Workforce Services reported that 1,626 public and private teachers and administrators employers paid salaries to people with receive compensation for their services, which is Social Security numbers that belonged to Utah children under the age of 12. well deserved. Both sectors need funds to have School Choice a Good Alternative for Many Students Doesn’t society benefit from well educated children? I agree that it does; therefore, I would like to see the voucher bill passed so that more parents have a choice in seeing their children get the best education possible. We are Americans! We live for freedom to choose. Why are we opposing Parent’s Choice? I attended the forum on school vouchers held at Moose Lodge on October 16, hoping to gain an understanding of the UEA and PTA’s strong stance against vouchers. I am still confused. My question: why are public educators so against this bill? I have had children in the public school system since 1975. For over 30 years our children have benefited from public schools. I applaud the teachers and administrators who have contributed to my children’s education. I do not want to hurt public schools. A few years ago, because of certain circumstances, one of my children attended a private school. This decision made a huge difference in my child’s life. My children are still attending public school, one is full time at Weber High, and the other attends a magnet school part time and a private school part time. I have a choice to benefit from both sectors—the best of both worlds. I feel I have chosen the best education I could find for my children’s individual needs. It is my choice and my sacrifice to put my children in a private school. I will not benefit financially from the voucher program so it is not for personal reasons I would like to see this bill pass. After studying the bill and hearing arguments on both sides, I strongly feel the bill will truly help our public schools and our educational capabilities as a state. It was brought out in the forum that education is important to all society. Therefore, it is in the best interest of all of us to want the best education for all children. Public schools are not able to be everything for all students. It is wise to consider that other choices may be the best for some children. Those opposing the bill say that it is not fair that public money be used for private business (i.e. schools). But, if education of our children does indeed benefit our society, then does not the education from private schools also benefit society? There isn’t much difference between public schools and OPEN HOUSE 11/03/07 11:00 – 2:00 $625,000 Beautiful mountain retreat located at 3422 North 2875 East in exclusive Spring Mountain Gated Community. This stunning brick home is approximately 4300 sq.ft. on 1.18 of an acre . Home offers mountain views, granite countertops, open floor plan, private trout pond, hiking trails and much more! Bonnie Stubenrauch Realtor 801-529-6981 buildings, supplies, and books. The tax money that may be used to fund either sector still goes to education, which does benefit us all. I wonder if public educators worry that this bill will cause a mass exodus from public schools. That is not going to happen. The majority of parents are happy with public schools. If children are succeeding and doing well in school, then there is no need for parents to take their children out of the public school system. For those children that aren’t doing well in school, and parents choose to put them in a private school, why not be glad that there are alternatives to help those children gain an education. I don’t know why teachers wouldn’t shout for joy, because it would give them the students that are working hard and succeeding, and they would have fewer of the students that cause them grief. Another consideration is, the money it takes to educate those few students that choose to leave the public school, remains in the public school for five years. It is five years of extra student funding, making extra money that could be used to pay teachers higher salaries, fund programs, buy books, and, at the same time, reduce class size. Again I ask, why do public educators fight this bill? I recently spoke to a public school official. He indicated to me that there is merit in this voucher bill. He stated there were some concerns in the bill that may cause abuse of the money, but agreed that the bill has potential in helping public schools. No voucher bill has been written as this one Utah has proposed, so until it is tried know one knows that it will fail. Let us give it the benefit of the doubt. If adjustments need to be made, they can. If it doesn’t pass now, it will be years and years before it is brought up again. Let’s work together, as parents and public school educators, to make this voucher program the best one in the nation. Working together, we can accomplish our goal of providing the best educational system in the world. Maureen Peterson, Eden have Don living in our community, and will be well served to have him as a member of the Weber Fire District Board of Trustees. We should not pass up the opportunity to vote for such a well-qualified candidate as Don Taylor for this important job. Stan Tixier, Eden So the questions that need to be answered before voting are: 1. Why, at a time of record surpluses and outrageous property tax increases, are we being asked to approve another new tax? 2. How about reserving future sales tax increases to pay for schools so our property taxes can be lowered? 3. Why don't governments better prioritize and manage the billions of dollars that they collect rather than keep increasing taxes? 4. At a time the national housing market is declining and employment growth has stalled, why should we impose a new tax on food and other necessities of life? 5. Shouldn't governments put programs in place to ensure that taxpayer funds are not used to hire illegal aliens using our children's stolen identities before asking for more taxes? So what are the alternatives? Well, state government, which has a $10 billion budget and huge taxpayer funded surpluses, can fund these transportation programs thereby alleviating the need for tax increases. In addition, developers can pay impact fees to help offset the cost of new roads and increased congestion that their projects generate rather than shifting the costs to taxpayers. Elected officials can follow Mitt Romney's example when he squeezed hundreds of millions of dollars in savings from the billion dollar Olympic budget by only funding "must-haves." The bottom line is this: Government will always seek higher taxes to fund a never-ending list of proposals. We elect representatives to manage the taxpayer's funds. It is time that they start doing their jobs and stop increasing taxes. Remember, all of us in Ogden Valley have a unique opportunity to send a strong message to our county commissioners by turning out in mass and voting against this new tax that is supported by our County Commissioners that will do virtually nothing for our Valley. D-Bell, Huntsville Eden Resident Drafts Open Letter to Representative Froerer and Senator Christensen Regarding Taxes and Open Space I am a resident of the Ogden Valley, and have come to love it in the two years since our family moved here. I feel strongly about preserving the quality of life in the Valley, which seems to be slipping away with the tide of rampant development flowing in. I have two major concerns: the tax crisis and preserving open space. The taxes have hit both newcomers and long-time residents hard, and without preserving open space, the character of this valley (that has supported the recent increase in property values) will be lost forever. I hope you will consider finding a mechanism to put a cap on the assessment increases that can occur each year, or else a cap on the percentage that an individual’s tax can increase each year. I understand that values are rising dramatically, and we feel it is fair to pay taxes accordingly, but for long-time residents, this is an unfair burden that may force more people to think about selling to developers. To preserve open space, there is a potential solution that seems fair to me, but it would take action in the legislature to make it possible. Many areas of the country, (Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Maryland; parts of Illinois; and Washington’s San Juan Islands are just a few examples), have instituted a property transfer fee or tax, with the money earmarked solely for buying land or development rights to protect open space. Anywhere from .5 to 2 percent of the sale is collected, either from the buyer or the seller, and there are usually exemptions in place for amounts below a certain threshold (say $400,000 for houses, $100,000 for land), transfers to direct descendants, or transfers of land that already have a conservation easement in place. A transfer fee of this kind seems fair, since it would come into play only when someone is either “cashing out” or buying in to the Valley. Levying an open-space tax on longtime residents, particularly those on a fixed income, would seem unfair. I, for one, would have been happy to pay such a tax as a buyer, or would be happy to pay it as a seller. Mechanisms should be in place so the funds are used in the specific locale they are collected, i.e. Ogden Valley funds would stay in the Ogden Valley. With costs and financial incentives being what they are right now, people want and/or need a piece of the real estate pie; I can totally understand that. Funding a land trust through this sort of fee would both preserve open space and allow property owners to be compensated fairly. From what I understand, Utah is one of about a dozen states in the country where there is no law on the books allowing land transfer fees to be collected. I realize that as a successful real estate broker and developer, Representative Froerer, you may view setting the precedent to allow a land transfer fee as being bad for business. But, in the long run, it is both good for sustained high values; plus, it’s the right thing to do. Representative Froerer and Senator Christensen, please consider creating and supporting legislation that would make this possible either locally or statewide. Thank you for your help. Kirsten Healey, Eden |