While endorsing parental choice in education, California’s 200,000-member Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association came out in July in opposition to Proposition 38, the school voucher initiative promoted by venture capitalist Tim Draper. The measure could cost taxpayers billions of dollars, according to the Association’s executive director, Kris Vosburgh.
The Association’s estimate differs dramatically from that of the state legislative analyst’s office, which determined that over the long term the initiative could save the state roughly $2.5 billion a year, although it would cost up to $600 million a year initially.
According to a report in the Sacramento Bee, the California Teachers Association has offered the Association as much as $2 million to promote its opposition to the voucher proposal. The union’s offer comes despite the fact that the Jarvis group is the teacher union’s biggest opponent on another November ballot initiative: reducing the voting requirement for school construction bonds from two-thirds to 55 percent.
