School Vouchers(4)

RESOLUTION 4: School Vouchers

WHEREAS THE LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS (LULAC) supports the purpose of fostering and enlarging the opportunities for training, education, civil rights, job opportunities, housing, economic development, and welfare of all Hispanics in the United States; and,

WHEREAS, the American public and parents remain deeply attached to the institution of public education, and;

WHEREAS, our cherished tradition of public schools that are free and equally open to all on the basis of equal citizenship continues to be vital to our pluralistic democracy, and;

WHEREAS, the American public, parents, and school staff believe there are serious shortcoming in our public schools but want public schools fixed, not abandoned, and;

WHEREAS, the education reform that the American public and parents, across all demographic groups, as well as school staff, overwhelmingly support high standard of conduct and achievement in our public schools, and not vouchers or other forms of school privatization, and;

WHEREAS, the evidence from here and abroad does not support the argument that vouchers and other methods to establish a market system of schools will improve school or student performance, while the evidence is incontrovertible that high standards of conduct and achievement do have that result, and;

WHEREAS, elected officials in a democracy have an especially political and moral obligation to be responsive when popular will, the public interest and solid evidence of positive results all converge:

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the 1998 National Assembly convened in Dallas, Texas on the 4th day of July, 1998:

1. LULAC and its affiliates continue to work to defeat voucher and other radical, school privatization proposals.
2. LULAC and its affiliates continue to educate its members, the public and parents about the evidence against vouchers as an instrument of educational and social improvements.
3. LULAC and its affiliates continue to pursue the education reform that is real "school choice" of parents and the public (high standards of conduct and achievement in our public schools) as the alternative to vouchers.
4. LULAC and its affiliates make opposition to vouchers and similar school privatization schemes and support for high standards of conduct and achievement in our public schools as key issue in political education materials.

Approved this 4th day of July, 1998.

Rick Dovalina
LULAC National President