From Deseret News archives:
School voucher opponents gather enough signatures for repeal vote
Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert announced today that the 124,218 verified signatures is not only a record number on a referendum petition but it's the first time in 33 years a referendum petition has been successful — a land use bill was overturned in 1974.
The next steps in the process is for the state's Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel research to enroll a title within 15 days and prepare what language will go on the ballot.
The governor has said he will set the election day for Feb. 5, 2008, the day of the presidential primary election.
Kim Burningham, spokesman for Utahns for Public Schools and president of the State Board of Education said he was delighted and surprised at the announcement since they had more verifiable signature than expected, calling it a significant victory for the anti-voucher group.
The voucher law that passed the Legislature earlier this year provides Utah families with a private school tuition voucher ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student attending a private school, based on parents' income.
It also appropriates $9.2 million to offset any financial impact school districts may experience for five years after a student leaves and goes to a private school.
But voucher opponents — Utahns for Public Schools, which includes the Utah PTA, Utah Education Association and the NAACP — don't like the idea of shifting public money to private schools.
In March, the group filed for a referendum to let voters either repeal or keep the voucher program. They were required to collect 92,000 — 10 percent of the votes cast for the last gubernatorial election — and be representative at least 15 counties signatures for a referendum.
Herbert said the group had gathered more than 124,000 verifiable signatures in 25 of the 29 counties.
The voucher opponents are celebrating but advocates for the law said it is no surprise they had sufficient signatures.
"When you have that many PTA moms and teachers and other government employees working on this it's not hard to gather enough signatures to put on the ballot," said Elisa Clements, executive director of Parents for Choice in Education.
The next move for PCE will be launching a campaign informing the public on the new law. She said that many Utahns are simply misinformed, thinking that the law will "destroy public education.
"Once (the public) understands what it actually does we're confident they will support it," Clements said.
State officials have also noted that lawmakers passed a second voucher bill the last night of the session that creates a similar voucher program without the $9.2 million. That law could still take effect even if voters reject the original law targeted by the referendum.
E-mail: terickson@desnews.com
