Voucher
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UPLIFTED.

RE VIVE

Jewish leaders line up on either side of Proposal I.

DIANA LIEBERMAN
Staff Writer

7

he Jewish community
remains fragmented in its
response to Proposal 1, the
statewide school-voucher
proposal due to come to a vote on
Tuesday, Nov. 7.
"I'm extremely in support of the pro-
posal," said Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg
of Young Israel of Southfield.
"I believe every child, regardless of
their educational interest, is entitled to
support from the tax money that all of
us pay."
Dr. Mark Smiley, headmaster of
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit in Farmington Hills, said he is
wary of the proposal because it has
not been fully thought-out.
"If indeed it was found to be consti-
tutional, I would prefer tax dollars for a
certain socioeconomic level," Smiley
said. "But taking millions and millions
of dollars out of the public-school bud-
get without knowing details of the pro-
posal seems very tricky for me."
If passed, the voucher proposal's pri-
mary effect would be to eliminate the

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ban Michigan's constitution places on
the use of state funds for nonpublic
schools. Parents whose children attend
one of seven school districts whose
1998-1999 graduation rates were below
two-thirds would be eligible to receive
vouchers — paper forms issued by the
state. These vouchers would enable
them to send their children to any pri-
vate or parochial school in the state that
accepts them.
No transportation is guaranteed.
unless the student and the private
school are in the same municipality.
Further, the private school has no
responsibility to participate in the pro-
gram or to accept any specific number
of students. The private school also
would be free to reject any specific stu-
dent for any reason.
The money for the vouchers would
be taken from the per-pupil allotment
currently paid to public schools each
year. Each voucher would be half the
per-pupil allotment, or about $3,100-
$3,600, depending on the year the
proposal goes into effect. The remain-
ing half would automatically leave the
school district and go back into the
state budget.

Ballot Language

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Sell your old furniture in
The Jewish News Classified.

DETROIT
JEWISH NEWS

10/13

2000

18

'TN 14100135415959

A proposal to amend the Michigan constitution to permit indirect sup-
port to students attending nonpublic pre-elementary, elementary and sec-
ondary schools; allow the use of tuition vouchers in certain school dis-
tricts; and require enactment of teacher-testing laws.

The proposed constitutional amendment would:
1. Eliminate ban on indirect support of students attending nonpublic
schools through tuition vouchers, credits, tax benefits, exemptions or
deductions, subsidies, grants or loans of public monies or property.
2. Allow students to use tuition vouchers to attend nonpublic schools in
districts with a graduation rate under two-thirds in 1998-1999 and districts
approving tuition vouchers through school board action or a public vote.
Each voucher would be limited to one-half of the state average, per-pupil,
public-school revenue.
3. Require teacher testing on academic subjects in public schools and in
nonpublic schools accepting vouchers.
4. Adjust minimum per pupil funding from 1994-1995 to 2000-2001 level.

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