Though Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said earlier this spring he would stand by the public should voters reject school vouchers, this week he said it would be up to the Legislature to respond to the vote.

"I will certainly respect what the will of the people is, but I don't have the power unilaterally to do much about it," Huntsman told the Deseret Morning News Tuesday. "I will respond to whatever is done in the Legislature, and I will then decide what is appropriate based on an expression by the people, but I am certainly not going to lead any particular issue legislatively.

"I didn't lead this charge to begin with, and I am certainly not going to after the initiative is finished," he said.

But voucher opponents, who were encouraged by the governor's previous statements of support, said it is disappointing to hear that he is stepping back.

In a February news conference Huntsman had said, "If the people vote (the voucher law) down, obviously that's the answer, I mean the people have spoken ... and I would obviously respect that." Carmen Snow, Utah PTA president and member of the anti-voucher Utahns for Public Schools organization, said though she is disappointed she hopes that legislators would take action based on the voice of the public should the law be voted down.

State leaders will announce Monday whether 92,000 of the 131,000 signatures on referendum petitions are verified, which would be sufficient to place the issue of whether or not Utah has a universal voucher program on the ballot.

Leaders say it's a likely bet. And Huntsman said if so he will set the vote for February 2008 — smack dab in the middle of the legislative session. Then it's up to lawmakers to make the next move.

However, he said he anticipates that court cases are likely to settle the issue before February rolls around.

"Both sides are likely to launch suits in the near future, and we are going to see a legal outcome that defines the future of the issue," Huntsman said. "I really do think there will be important suits in the interim where we'll learn a lot more about the destiny of (the law) than anything else."

The law targeted by the referendum is HB148, referred to as the Parent Choice in Education Act. It provides Utah families with a private school tuition voucher ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student attending a private school, based on parents' income. It also appropriates $9.2 million to offset any financial impact school districts may experience for five years after a student leaves and goes to a private school.

But voucher opponents say the program shifts public money to private schools, and last month Utahns for Public Schools filed for a referendum to let voters either repeal or keep the voucher program. The group was required to collect 92,000 signatures for a referendum.