Here in Utah we are having a huge controversy this election over school vouchers. In a nutshell, the state legislature passed a bill allowing parents to take some of the money that the state allocates from the tax coffers to help pay tuition at a private school for their children. Currently the state spends about $7,000 per student during the school year. The voucher plan would allow the parents to use $3000 of that money to assist with the tuition at a private school
Needless to say the NEA and the local school teachers unions filed suit in the courts to stop this from becoming law. The comprise was to put it to a popular vote in this election. Their arguments are basically that it would be robbing from the rest of the kids, it discriminates for the rich, there will be unqualified teachers, etc.
What I see is a profession that is terrified of competition. As a taxpayer that won't affect my children, as ours is a junior in High School, so it would not affect her anyway, I see it as an opportunity for more teachers to obtain jobs, parents and children to have a choice. The argument in favor of vouchers is that more vocational educational opportunities will be available as well as the typical advanced or fine arts type schools. I also see that as more opportunities arrise competition will weed out the incompetence and those schools that aren't serving the needs of its students.
As Realtors we thrive or fail in competition. We are literally earning what we're worth, if we are incompetent, we're not long for this business. If we fail to adapt to change, we are also on our way out of this business. Isn't this what made this the greatest nation in the world? The best rise to the top, those that can't do it, find some other way to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.
I am not criticizing teachers as being incompetent, but rather saying that they should welcome the opportunity to show how good they are. They should look at it as an opportunity to say, pay me what I am worth, I am the best, and I can prove it. In short I am saying that they should look at is an opportunity to join the rest of the country, where the best get paid, and those that can't cut it, find another profession. It isn't unreasonable to say that in any profession, for a while at least, there are those that don't quite cut it. That is just the way that it is, and I challenge the Educators in the state of Utah to welcome the chance to prove that they belong. Isn't that what everyone else in this country does?
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