Letters From: Bellville, IL - 03/15/06

Waking to education reform

THERE ARE two effective solutions to improve school funding and education quality in Illinois: No-strings-attached school vouchers and increased education expense tax credits. School vouchers would afford parents freedom to choose how and where to educate their children. In Milwaukee, where school vouchers were successfully implemented, academic achievement has improved in both the public and private sector.
Increasing education expense tax credits would provide tax relief to parents whose children do not use the government schools. If more students were financially enabled to enroll in private schools, public school enrollment and operating costs would go down, your personal tax bill would go down and student achievement would go up.
In April 2004, one out of every 10 school districts had a tax referendum or bond proposal on the ballot. Voters rejected 64.2 percent of them because property owners can no longer afford the government school monopoly. From 1998-2003 school spending in Illinois increased 30.2 percent. The time for education and funding reform in Illinois for the children's sake and the property owner's sake is now. If you vote yes to school district tax referendums and bond proposals, you enable the continuation of the local school district's addiction to your money. By voting no, like the majority of voters across the state, you force Gov. Blagojevich and the state legislature to stop hitting the "snooze" button and wake up to true education reform, equalized school district funding and property tax relief for all.

- - - Zack Kersulis