This sample letter to the editor can be sent to local newspapers to voice your opposition to tuition vouchers.

Editor:

State legislators are considering a proposal by Gov. Eliot Spitzer that would provide tax deductions for private school tuition.

Parents have the right to send their children to private or religious schools, but taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize that choice. Private and religious schools that would benefit from vouchers do not have to meet state standards, are not accountable for how they spend their money, and are free to discriminate against special ed students and English language learners.

Supporters of vouchers market them as a boon to low-income families in struggling districts, but research has shown that poor families often benefit least under such programs. New York needs to make sure public dollars are used to benefit public schools, not private institutions.