Sides square off in school-voucher debate

It doesn't get much bigger than the private school voucher issue — or more complex, according to political experts at the University of Utah.

Thursday the Hinckley Institute of Politics held a debate to give students and the public a little more insight on the voucher issue. Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, who opposes the voucher program, and Richard Eyre, a longtime school choice advocate, voucher supporter and former gubernatorial candidate, squared off front of more than 100 students and community members.

"This is one of the biggest issues you could ever have on a ballot — this involves children, and so almost everyone is going to be interested," said Kirk Jowers, the institute's director, who moderated the debate. "My biggest fear is that too many people will be influenced by the 30-second ads — if you only get one side at such a superficial level, it's really hard to make the right decision on this ballot measure."

He said that both public and private interest on the issue are so large, it creates a perfect storm that turns it into a hot issue.

This was just the first debate of likely many to come as the Nov. 6 election draws near. Earlier this summer leaders on both sides of the fence fired up their campaigns — using media ads, push polls, town hall meetings and grass-roots visits in hopes of securing votes.

The private school voucher program, also know as the Parent Choice in Education Act, was approved by the Legislature this past spring. It 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 the Nov. 6 vote, which will determine if the measure will stay on the books.

Voucher opponents don't like the idea of public money going to fund private schools and say that state funding should be invested into public schools.

But voucher supporters say there is nothing wrong with a little competition, and, if anything, it will push public schools to be better.

"The one good reason to be against vouchers is because you fear competitions ... the other legitimate reason is you don't trust parents to know what is best for their kid," said Eyre during the debate. "I am advocating options."

But Moss said there is already a lot of competition in public schools among the options that are already available.

"You say competition, but in fairness you must have a level playing field," Moss said, explaining that private schools can pick and choose which students to accept.

"Public schools must serve all children — the law requires public schools to provide everything that a child needs to succeed," Moss said. "How can you say competition will improve one entity when the others don't have to deal with the same kind of challenges — we have competition, it's very healthy and it's going on all the time."

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