For their part, voucher opponents say they want to stick to the real issue: vouchers. "We have one issue that we are concerned about, and that's vouchers, so questions that are tangential like that are not our concern," Johnson said.

The voucher program, which was approved by the Legislature this past spring, would provide Utah families with a private-school tuition voucher ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student based on the parents' income.

It also would appropriate $9.2 million for mitigation money to hold schools harmless for five years after a student leaves and goes to a private school.

The anti-voucher group Utahns for Public Schools successfully gathered enough signatures for a referendum that would allow Utahns to decide whether they want a voucher program. As a result, the law is now on hold pending a Nov. 6 vote that will determine if the measure will stay on the books.

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com