Economists' opinions sought on tuition study

The State Office of Education wants economists to scrutinize a study showing tax credits for private school tuition could save the state millions of dollars in would-be education costs.

Associate State Superintenden Patrick Ogden has e-mailed nine economists and finance experts, asking them to examine, for free, the Legislature-commissioned study presented earlier this month by Utah State University professors. Two volunteered by early Monday afternoon. A pair of State Office of Education workers also are sifting through the study.

"The study presented results that are so far from anything else that has been put forth that it raises concerns and interest in knowing exactly how the researchers reached the conclusions they did," Ogden said.

Study co-author Roberta Herzberg, a USU political science professor, welcomed the scrutiny.

"They want to be well informed; they should be well informed," she said. "I hope there are some things in our study to help them make better decisions."

Tuition tax credits are a perennial Capitol Hill controversy. Public school officials oppose them, for philosophical reasons and because they believe the credits would drain school coffers. School choice advocates support them and say they would ease public school crowding and save money.

Legislators set aside $150,000 for an unbiased study on the money issue. Leaders chose researchers Herzberg and Chris Fawson, USU economics professor and vice provost for academic and international affairs.

They dismissed a Southern Utah University professor for publicly supporting tuition tax credits. But they kept Fawson, a member of the Board of Scholars for the Sutherland Institute, which supports the credits, because he never performed work for the institute on the subject.

Earlier this month, the team presented findings to the Legislative Management Committee.

They found a tuition tax credit could save Utah public schools money — $1.3 billion over 13 years under one scenario — by enticing families to private schools. The study, based on last winter's bill offering up to a $2,000 tuition tax credit, included several scenarios, most indicating a savings.

Scenarios hinge on the number of students switching to private schools under the credit — if too few switch, the state loses money — and marginal costs, or the cost of adding students to, or taking them away from, the system.