‘Utah’s children are not for sale,’ Campbell tells members at 2007 UEA Convention

Strong public schools are the foundation of democracy, and supporting, improving, and enhancing them should be a priority for Utah’s elected officials, Utah Education Association President Kim Campbell told members on the opening day of the Association’s annual convention.

UEA Vice President Ellen Thompson (second from right) leads UEA members on a peaceful, anti-voucher march around the Salt Palace Convention Center on the opening day of the 2007 UEA Convention.

In a speech one week before Utah voters overwhelmingly defeated Referendum 1, Campbell chastised voucher supporters for wanting to use Utah’s children “in a grand, corporate experiment.” The UEA leader then repeated a phrase she has used over and over again since the voucher battle began: “Utah’s children are not for sale.”

“The voucher issue is not about public vs. private schools,” Campbell said. “We have private schools that do a great job: so do our public schools.” In making her point, Campbell referenced a study released last summer which showed that public school students achieve at commensurate or higher levels that private school students.

“The voucher issue is not about political parties, though some would have you think that,” Campbell continued. “Both Republicans and Democrats in Utah and across the nation have voted against voucher bills.”

“The voucher issue is not about choice,” she said. “Utah’s system is full of choices: AP programs, gifted programs, concurrent enrollment, vocational programs, music and athletic programs, schools within a school, released time for seminary programs, and Utah is one of the few states that allow students to attend a public school other than the one in their neighborhood.”

Campbell said if those who seek to destroy public schools succeed, “they will destroy the very foundation of our democratic society – for there is no democracy without strong public schools.”

Campbell was one of several education leaders who spoke out against vouchers during the UEA Convention media event.

Hal Adams, Utah’s 2008 Teacher of the Year, argued that those promoting private school vouchers aren’t thinking about rural Utah. Adams, a history teacher and debate coach at Grand County High School in Moab, said, “Our rural communities are 100, 200, even 300 miles from a private school.”

Adams reminded those in the audience of the importance of strong public schools. “My great, great, grandfather taught in rural Utah 130 years ago. My father started teaching 57 years ago. I now teach in beautiful Grand County,” he said. “In all those years, our schools in rural Utah have played a unique role; they are often the social and cultural centers of our communities. Music programs, holiday parties, plays, dances, and sporting events are often the highlights of our lives, and they’re always the highlight of the local papers. School pride and community pride are synonymous.”

“Public schools are not broken and have not failed,” Adams said. “A quick look at the achievements and successes of Utah’s public schools shows that Utah is near the top in many areas.”

Kim Burningham, chair of the Utah State Board of Education, told the audience he personally believes that vouchers “would be harmful to our public schools, and to the greater fabric of our society.”

Joan Heap, 2006 Utah Teacher of the Year, said, “We must put our money where it will do the greatest good for the most students — in public, not private, education.”

Following the remarks, Campbell asked Association members to call and thank the legislators who voted against vouchers last February. UEA Vice President Ellen Thompson then led the crowd down the stairs and onto the sidewalks surrounding the Salt Palace for a peaceful march for public schools. “Take a step for every child you have taught, or for every child you will teach in the future,” Campbell said.