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KNBC's Cary Bergland reports Aug. 30, 2007 on my website reviewing Los Angeles synagogues: Luke Ford On Entertainment Tonight, Feb. 8, 1999: Luke Ford On Fox Files, March 25, 1999: Give Me Your Soul, National Film Board of Canada Documentary, released in October of 2000. 60 Minutes, 11/23/03: Sept. 11, 2007 ABC's I-Caught on Blogebrities: After Porn Ends (2011)From the July 18, 1993 Auburn Journal: A school voucher initiative - also known as the Parental Choice in Education Initiative - calls for giving $2600 credit in the form of a voucher to the parents of a school-age child to be applied toward the cost of education for that child at whatever school - public or private - the parent chooses. "No question, this would devastate financing of public education," said Placer County Superintendent of Schools John Reinking. Reinking's remark is a common reply from public school administrators, who fear the worst in giving parents the option of taking away dollars normally assigned to public education and funneling them to private schools. But the economic issue isn't at the core of the argument for a grassroots organization called ExCEL, which is pushing for approval of the voucher initiative. The focus is on reform, says Luke Ford of Newcastle. Ford, 27, believes parents should be economically empowered to choose schools for their children because it will lead to a betterment of education overall, not to mention reintroducing the notion of ethics and morality in the classrooms. "We are the first civlization in history to have raised a generation of youth who are value-free," said Ford, adding that the absence of a moral framework in public education coupled with declining scholastic performances has pushed the voucher initiative to the ballot. Ford is a 1984 Placer High School graduate and the Placer County coordinator for Parents For Educational Choice, which is supporting the initiative. He is also an unlikely candidate for the job, being virtually house-bound as a victim of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since 1988.... Raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, Ford grew up in a private school setting, switching to Placer High School as a sophomore.... "I've had experience in both, as well as Sierra College," Ford said. It's that classroom experience that prompted him to become politically concerned and as active as his health will allow in pushing for the voucher initiative. "My generation grew up in a vacuum," Ford said, noting that as a high school student he saw lots of good sports, music and language programs, but nothing at school on the subject of ethics.... "The idea of teaching kids to be decent people, and the difference between good and bad wasn't there, except for a teacher or two who might do it by example," he said. Ford's father is a minister who was a professor in Australia... before moving the family to California. He says his father had to cut his class materials by half when they moved, just to accommodate slower paced U.S. students. "We (the United States) used to be considered at the top, educationally, in the world. Now we are near the bottom," Ford said. Ford became aware of the voucher initiative a year ago through his doctor, Alan Bonsteel of San Francisco, who is the Northern California director for Parents for Educational Choice. Since then, Ford, who recently converted to Judaism, has become increasingly concerned about social issues and public education. "People want to take charge of their lives. They want to make choices and they tend to be dissatisfied with public education, partly because of religious reasons," he said. "Many people feel the public schools just aren't doing the job," Ford added. Even though he believes there is grassroots support for the initiative, Ford says he has seen little organized effort locally to get it passed. "I think I'm it (the county coordinator) because no one else has come forward," Ford said. Ford said his health prevents him from making many public appearances, but he is available by telephone to answer questions and help coordinate a Placer County effort in behalf of the initiative. |