Even if voters approve giving $3,000 a year per child in state vouchers to help non-wealthy families pay private school tuition, families would still need another $4,800 or so per child to afford typical annual tuition in Utah.

That suggests that vouchers — the center of this year's biggest election battle — might give many needy families only weak-to-moderate help toward truly affording typical private school tuition. However, vouchers could cover all tuition costs at a few schools at the cheaper end of the spectrum.

That is according to calculations and research by the Deseret Morning News. The figures are similar to state tuition averages calculated by the anti-voucher Utahns for Public Schools.

"The people who are reportedly supposed to be the beneficiary of this are really going to have a hard time accessing private schools even with the voucher," said Lisa Johnson, spokeswoman for Utahns for Public Schools. "When you consider the income level you have to be at to get a $3,000 voucher, that's a lot of money to come up with to make the difference ... and if you have more than one child to come up with that money is a real barrier for Utah families."

The voucher program would allow families to access private school tuition vouchers ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student attending a private school, based on parents' income.

The News telephoned all private schools listed by the State Office of Education about their tuition and enrollment. Some refused data or did not respond. The newspaper also excluded from calculations many treatment centers for drugs and other problems where overall treatment costs (usually very high) did not break out tuition for schooling there.

The research resulted in a database of 64 private schools, in which more than 13,700 of the 16,000-plus private school students estimated by the state are enrolled.

With it, the newspaper calculated a weighted average (which takes into account how many students pay tuition at different levels). It used "normal" tuition rates, not counting discounts for such things as multiple students from the same family or subsidies by Catholic parishes for members at Catholic schools.

For all private schools providing information, the weighted average for tuition was $7,824 a year per student — more than $4,800 beyond what the $3,000 state voucher for non-wealthy students would cover.

For just those private schools that have identified themselves to the pro-voucher Parents for Choice in Education as willing to take vouchers now, the weighted average is a trifle lower: $7,777.

"The numbers we have been using are around $8,000 a year ... so that matches what our message has been all along and that it is it's difficult for a family to come up with the difference between the voucher and the actual tuition amounts," said Johnson. "People need to be aware of those costs before they vote."