Discussion Points
- Is today's initiative process truly a grassroots process?

- What is the responsibility of the media as our primary source of information on initiatives?

- Do initiatives unnecessarily complicate or make the electoral process more inclusive?

- What are your views on Proposition 38?

Discussion

Prop. 38 is going to damage California education, and put poor communities of color at an even greater disadvantage than current. We need to reframe the debate to ask WHY certain public schools provide decent -- even excellent -- education and others lag so far behind. Vouchers are a way out of the system that benefit only a few people, with significant constitutional and civil rights concerns. Prop. 38 will cost billions and primarily help those who already have their kids in private schools -- who have already exercised a "choice."
Vote NO on 38 to prevent this dangerous initiative.
Anonymous

The initiative process is not democratic. It has resulted in multimillionaires trying to turn their personal views into voter-approved legislation by hiring professional public relations experts to wage expensive media campaigns. The Knight Initiative was a personal attack by Pete Knight on gays, Prop. 38 -- the voucher initiative facing California today -- is a personal attack on public schools by Tim Draper. Draper is venture capitalist who has compared himself to Rosa Parks. He calls public schools the "last bastion of socialism" and has vowed to replace public schools in California with private ones. He doesn't even have the support of other voucher advocates or organizations -- they all reject Prop. 38. Its only on the ballot because you can pay people to collect petition signatures.
Initiatives let the well-heeled and ignorant decide our election agenda. What the issues are, what we must fight. Communities without significant financial resources -- which is most of us -- lose out in this system.
Melanie La Rosa

The health industry's privatization has given us Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). Knowing what the HMOs have to offer us today sends shivers down my spine, thinking what future Education Maintenance Organizations (EMOs) might have to offer! Not much. Vote NO on 38.
Amir Kouchekinia

This program convinces me that a trial --even a mock trial-- is NOT the way to explore the consequences of a proposition. This too much resembled the national so-called debates: scoring points and posturing on both sides, rather than careful exploration.
Paul Berry

I vote NO on prop.38.
Elain Perlman

The goal should be the superior education of more California students -- not saving someone's government job or the presently poorly performing government schools. The present delivery system, via government monopoly schools, is a failure and has long been a failure. It has not reformed itself and never will. We need massive relief today. The voucher program will bring a revolution of better education to our children now. I am tired of decades of slippery talk and constant promises from government schools and teachers. Bring on the reform; California surely deserves the improvement.
Paul Cahill, San Francisco

Hi, they say private schools don't descriminate...They are wrong. Recently one private high school in San Francisco lost Numerous teachers with credentials because they were tired of fighting the descriminatory practices of the administration (my personal opinion). This schools practices favored white male teachers. One female minority credentialed teacher could not get full time at this school, she left and was replaced by a white FULLTIME teacher with NO credential. Private schools are interested in MAKING MONEY (this school has a CEO not a principal). Non credentialled teachers do not move up the salary scale saving the school money. Most non credentialed teachers stick around only a couple years, so there is noone to fight for the rights of the students. I know because my wife fought for the rights of minoriies and females at this school for over 20 years. She couldn't take it anymore and now works for the public school system, which shows her respect for her experience,her race and her gender. If you want to improve your school GET INVOLVED it doesn't cost any money.
joe Lansing

What a dud !
Wasted time, moved way too slow. The only FACTUAL data I got was $8,000 present ADA expenditure and $4,000 "voucher". Plus sort of got a hint that state schools as a whole would pocket money once 600, 000 new students transfer, due to the $4,000 net "profit" or "relief" per student transferred. Both "interlocutors" very weak.
Not one word did I hear about the average and the range of today's class size. The latest of the latest of Rand Corp studies ascribe much of [Texas] progress to reduced class size. No one here asserted, rebutted, or questioned whether state schools on average would enjoy class size reductions for every additional student that optionally chose to use a voucher. No one denied that should benefit all students who OPTED to stay at SexEd Elementary, Mediocre Middleschool, or Hapless High. Accountability: no mention of mandatory testing, but it was left unclear what testing regime the state schools are undertaking. And what to do with the results. [Witness two conflicting Rand studies in two months.] Most significantly, NO CREDIT WHATSOEVER TO THE PARENT WHO CARED for applying the accountability criteria.
Discrimination: Flared and then bypassed. I haven't heard of parochial schools discriminating by religion, but in a diverse society I would uphold their reasons for specializing, just as Girls, Boys, and military schools rightfully and productively do. Not out of spite, but out of effectiveness.
I was very disappointed that the judge did not allot whatever time required to actually elicit a response to a very specific question put to a recalcitrant, equivocating witness.
As a result this was an exercise in bafflegab, shedding little decisive light.
Cordially,
Bob Litfin, San Jose

First of all I am voting no on prop. 38. I am inspired to vote because of the history of women. What women had to go through to get the right to vote is enough to motivate me to vote. I do it in honor of them and because of the sacrifices they made for us. I also vote because I believe it does make a difference. Thanks for the wonderful programming.
Monica Ruiz

The opponents of Prop 38 refuse to believe there is anything other than government schools that can do a better job of teaching our kids. The arrogance of these people is disgusting. Middle and low income parents are the only ones that do NOT have a choice. High income people should not be forced to pay taxes for public education and then pay for private schools because the government schools are not doing the job. Vote yes on prop. 38, this is the only measure that will force accountability in government schools.
Ted Harris

I must admit I have not been happy with the public school education my children are receiving, but I do not believe Prop 38 is the answer. What I hope for is the failure of prop 38 and the teachers union to wake up. We are not happy with the way our kids are being educated. The public school system needs some shaking up. I am afraid if prop 38 passes and does not work it will take a 3/4 vote of the politicians to get the prop 38 experiment out of the state constitution ( From what I understand because of the amount of signatures and the way it is worded, it will become part of the California constitution). I do not want my child's education to become another political party debate. As parents we need to have our voices heard,but we can not take anything that flies by, out of frustration, as the solution.
Boyd Family

Calif. schools cost tax payers $9500 prer pupil. the voucher system will cost calif. school system $4000 A savings of #5500.Since that student will not be enrolled in public school the $9500 cost will be a saving to the tax payers.
The teachers will have smaller classes as they wish. There are too manny administrators.
I used to belong to a service club with FOUR school principals who were told to spend any budgeted moneys not spent by the end of the year. YES on 38.
Anonymous

I can't believe that this complete mock trial was so devoid of actual fact. Your PBS station "channel 9" is full of communist bias! I have given in the past, but will not in the future. Your programing does not reflect the AMERICAN way.
Gerald Barton

I am voting yes on prop 38. To me, the issue is crystal clear. California is already giving "vouchers" to college students who use the money as financial aid to attend any private or public college that they want. It's called a Cal Grant. If college students can benefit from vouchers, why not elementary and secondary school students? Some may think that wealthy families should not get the vouchers. I can agree with that, as long as the state refunds the $8000 average cost per pupil to property tax payers. After all, those students are no longer in the public school system. Somehow I don't think the teacher's union likes that idea.
Adam Chen