Tuition tax credits could go for 'test drive'

"Let's come to the table with open minds" about tuition tax credits, Lt. Gov. Gary R. Herbert urged school board members from around the state Saturday.

The issue, a contentious one for public school advocates, was the elephant in the room at the 82nd annual convention of the Utah School Boards Association. When it finally came up during a question-and-answer session after Herbert's prepared remarks, the lieutenant governor told the school board members that Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. wants to "test drive" both tuition tax credits and vouchers, which would subsidize private education for some students.

The governor, who endorsed funding measures during his campaign, "is willing to explore" both options, Herbert said, provided that public education is left "harmless" during the experiment and that there is means testing that would either scale or target the credits and vouchers to favor lower-income Utahns.

"We're encouraged by your offer to sit at the table," said Utah School Boards Association president William P. Moore of the Davis School District after Herbert's talk.

On the expense side of the ledger, Herbert told the group, "We believe the No. 1 issue . . . is education." And the primary solution is economic prosperity, which is why economic development has been the governor's emphasis. "It will, in fact, be the rising tide that raises all boats."

Herbert outlined the Huntsman administration's education budget, unveiled on Friday, that calls for $15 million to attract "the best and the brightest" of new teachers, $14 million to enhance math instruction for 4th through 6th graders, a 4.5 percent increase in the weighted pupil unit, $10 million for literacy and math materials and $5.5 million for teacher supplies.

"Is it perfect?" asked Herbert about the budget. "Probably not. But it's a start."

Herbert said he expects that the $10.1 million originally recommended for instruction to help students pass high-stakes tests like the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test — a recommendation that was eliminated from the governor's budget — will likely be re-examined during the legislative session, which begins Monday.

The governor, Herbert reported, is currently doing a national search for a liaison between education and the governor's office, but the salary provided for this position by the Legislature is inadequate. "The challenge is to get somebody that good to work for that cheap."

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