Committee passes school-vouchers bill

It would give a $3,000 private school tuition voucher to a family of four earning $37,000 or less a year, according to federal eligibility guidelines for reduced-price school lunch, all the way down to $500 for the same family earning $92,500 a year or more. Those in public school now, who are new to the state, just entering kindergarten or are low-income now attending private schools would be eligible. Participating private schools would have to have at least 40 students. Home schools couldn't participate.

The bill would leave voucher students' leftover state per-student spending with their school districts. The State Office of Education reports the state funding for education is about $3,500 per student. So, if the average voucher is just under $2,000 per student, as the Legislative fiscal analyst office estimates, then $1,500 would stay with the student's school district to offset any financial problems for the next five years or until the student would graduate from high school.

Local money spent on education, rounding out the state average spent to about $5,200, also would remain in the system.

The bill also contains some accountability measures, including teacher skill requirements and accounting procedures.

"Public schools, they do a pretty fantastic job in this state ... but there are some that it doesn't work for," Urquhart said. "If someone is very wealthy, they have (a private school) choice ... this will help some people maybe clear that financial hurdle, to go after something they think is better."

Ken Johnson, director of the Milwaukee Public Schools Board of School Directors, said the voucher system there brought good changes to public schools, including budgetary and enrollment growth and parent empowerment. "School choice gives parents an option to leave. It was up to us then to come to parents and say, 'What is it that you need?"'

Still, money remains a chief bone of contention.

The bill calls for $9.2 million in general, not school, funds in the coming year, and $12.3 million the year after. The Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst also says it would put nearly $4 million in the first, and $3.6 million the second, back into the schools' budget.

The bill's fiscal note is not that far off from the State Office of Education's estimated costs.

Still, the state office contends the bill is a bad deal for public schools. Some 22,000 students ultimately would have to leave public schools in order for the public schools to break even, the office estimates. That's about 4,000 students more than attend private schools now. The reason: In 13 years, the state would have to pay for more than 16,000 students in private schools they never used to have to worry about.

"Over the years, proponents claimed there would be a cost savings ... well, it's refreshing to note in this bill we have at least an acknowledgement there will be a cost," said Vik Arnold, government relations specialist for the Utah Education Association. "The reality is, the fiscal cost of this bill will escalate over the next 12 years."