School voucher bill faces battle — again

A bill that would offer vouchers to help parents pay private school tuition cleared its initial legislative hurdle Friday, but the big test is yet to come on the House floor.

That's where bills similar in concept typically have stalled for the past five years.

And according to a new poll, a majority of Utahns would like that trend to continue. Forty-two percent of Utah residents surveyed by Dan Jones & Associates said they strongly or somewhat favor voucher legislation while 53 percent somewhat or strongly oppose the legislation. Four percent said they didn't know.

The survey of 415 Utah adults, conducted Feb. 14-16 for the Deseret Morning News and KSL-TV, has a plus or minus 5 percent error margin.

But the State Board of Education, historically against the idea of vouchers and tuition tax credits, on Friday couldn't come up with the eight votes needed to take a position on the bill. Seven voted to oppose the bill; four voted to support it. Four more were absent.

Which side the House will take this year remains a tough call. Last year it died by just five votes in the House while passing the Senate.

"This was a compromise bill designed to get 38 votes," said Royce Van Tassell, spokesman for Parents for Choice in Education, a leading lobbying group for HB184. "What will happen on the floor? It's going to be a very close vote."

HB184, sponsored by Rep. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, passed the House Education Standing Committee Friday evening along party lines, 8-4.

It would offer vouchers worth $500 to $3,500, based on family income, to students switching from public to private schools or low-income students currently in private schools. Parents would use the money to pay for private-school tuition.

Adams characterizes the bill, which would take effect next school year, as a compromise compared to the perennially controversial measures of years past. The main reason: The bill aims to maintain money going to public schools while offering greater educational choices to parents.

It would give $13.3 million in general funds, not dedicated school funds, to pay for the vouchers in the first year, and $14.2 million the next.

School districts, which receive state money based on how many students they have, also could count voucher recipients in their enrollment for up to five years and keep a portion of those students' education dollars, with the amount based on the number and value of the vouchers distributed.