2018 UT Senate race: on Education


Craig Bowden: Vouchers are a good step towardending public schools

Q: Do you agree or disagree with the statement, "Vouchers for school choice"?

A: My ultimate position is to end public schooling, but this would be an interim step toward greater choice.

Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Utah Senate candidate Feb 28, 2018

Danny Drew: Public schools should meet unique needs of disabled kids

Drew explained that a DeVos-funded PACs emptied their pockets to support a voucher program in Utah. [Former Governor Jon] Huntsman then had no problem in 2007 signing into law in the Parent Choice in Education Act, which was overturned by voters.

Drew's son needed unique schooling opportunities, but private schools were not affordable. Drew was upset when DeVos, in her Senate confirmation hearings, didn't know what the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was.

Source: Good Men Project on 2018 Utah Senatorial race Jun 21, 2017

Jon Huntsman: 2007: signed the Parent Choice in Education Act

[Gubernatorial candidate Danny] Drew explained that a DeVos-funded PACs emptied their pockets to support a voucher program in Utah. Huntsman then had no problem in 2007 signing into law in the Parent Choice in Education Act, which was overturned by voter Drew's son needed unique schooling opportunities, but private schools were not affordable. Drew was upset when DeVos, in her Senate confirmation hearings, didn't know what the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was.
Source: Good Men Project on 2018 Utah Senatorial race Jun 21, 2017

Danny Drew: School choice means re-segregation in some states

In Utah, school choice means strengthening our public education options; in some areas of the country, it can serve as a means of re-segregation public institutions. Historically Black colleges were indeed founded as a work around against restrictive Jim-Crow laws. Lack of equal opportunity is still a sad fact in much of our great nation. pushing a nationwide school choice initiative takes away our local control. Secretary Devos' plan will result in a tiered system of various levels that will result in an inequity for our children.
Source: 2018 Utah Senatorial campaign website DrewForUtah.com Feb 28, 2017

Danny Drew: Local school choice, free from corporate influence

As Utahns we should instead fight to preserve our meritocracy by showing a commitment to all children, and work to develop solutions that strengthen public education. This is why I support giving local municipalities the control to select educational options appropriate for their children, free from corporate influence. In Utah, that solution should include more flexibility of choice; in other areas their solutions should be locally appropriate.
Source: 2018 Utah Senatorial campaign website DrewForUtah.com Feb 28, 2017

Jon Huntsman: 2007: statewide vouchers, "Parent Choice in Education Act

In 2007, Jon Huntsman Jr., then the governor of Utah, signed a statewide school voucher program into law. The "Parent Choice in Education Act" enabled all children in the state to access a scholarship to attend any private school of their choosing.

Opponents of school choice decry the use of public money to fund private schools. There is a wrinkle: the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and, more specifically for Missourians, the Blaine Amendment to the Missouri Constitution, which stipulates that "no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect or denomination of religion."

In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled that excluding religious institutions from school choice programs and funding amounted to discrimination. The court is currently weighing a challenge to Missouri's Blaine Amendment. Newly inaugurated Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley insists, "Blaine Amendments cannot be allowed to trump the First Amendment."

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch on 2018 Utah Senate race Jan 20, 2017

  • The above quotations are from 2018 Utah Senate race: debates and news coverage.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Education.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Orrin Hatch on Education.
Candidates and political leaders on Education:

Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN) 		Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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