School Voucher Issue Debated

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

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On October 17, 2007, KSL 5 Eyewitness News aired a report evaluating the truth of certain claims made in recent political advertisements. One portion of this report evaluated ads being aired by both proponents and opponents of Referendum 1. In the story, KSL took no position for or against Referendum 1, and no position either for or against Referendum 1 was intended to be implied by the story. Recently, an organization that supports Referendum 1 sent out a direct mail flyer quoting portions of KSL's news story as support for that organization's views about Referendum 1. KSL believes that the flyer implies that KSL itself produced, or was at least involved in producing, the flyer. This is not the case.

Indeed, the KSL Editorial Board has aired an editorial stating that it is opposed to Referendum 1. KSL strongly encourages all citizens to carefully and independently research this and other political issues before casting their votes at the polls.

View the entire Conversation on Referendum 1 by clicking on the PLAY button to the left

(KSL News) The issue of school vouchers draws more attention and debate as November elections approach. KSL tonight hosted a Conversation on Referendum 1 with Richard Eyre (Parents for Choice in Education) vs. Lisa Johnson (Utahns for Public Schools.) Here are some of the points.

Richard Eyre said, "I love win-win situations. This is a win for parents because we get to make more choices about our kids."

Lisa Johnson said, "This isn't a great deal for Utah and we ought to invest in our public schools instead."

Eyre said, "People have always had the private school choice if they can afford it. This is to give poor people a chance to attend private schools."

Johnson said, "The fact that the voucher is so far off of what the average tuition is really makes that choice not a great option for many families."

Eyre said, "I want lower class size. I want more spending for kids, and vouchers do that for public schools."

Johnson said, "My concern is making sure all the students in Utah have access to great schools, and that's why I want to see the money invested in the public schools."

This debate was helpful to illustrate both sides of the discussion, you can watch it online by clicking on the main picture of this story.