Huntsman orders election Nov. 6 on school vouchers

Voters will have their say on private school vouchers in November.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. issued an executive order Wednesday calling for a statewide special election on the school voucher referendum for Nov. 6, saying it will allow voters to voice their opinions "as soon as logistically possible."

"This will allow for the greatest participation, where voters won't be disenfranchised, and moves to settle the issue sooner rather than later, and that is in everyone's best interest across the board," said Lindsay Zizumbo, spokeswoman for Utahns for Public Schools.

But while voucher opponents applaud the move, supporters say it doesn't matter when the vote is because there is already a voucher law on the books.

"Whether it is in November or February, it's inconsequential — we still want to see HB174 implemented now," said Leah Barker, spokeswoman for Parents for Choice in Education and Children First Utah.

Barker was referring to a second voucher law that lawmakers passed late in the 2007 session by a referendum-proof margin.

Last week, Huntsman said he was seeking a commitment that the 2008 Legislature will help local governments pay for the election.

The cost of a statewide election is around $3.5 million but many local municipalities and county governments are already holding elections in November, so the cost will be less.

Earlier the governor had set the referendum vote for February, the same time as the state's presidential primary, since a statewide election was already funded.

The idea to move up the election date surfaced when GOP legislative leaders said they would not revisit the voucher issue and advised State Board of Education officials to think again about not implementing an amendment bill that was passed by the 2007 Legislature and not targeted by the referendum.

In early spring the Legislature passed the initial voucher law, HB148. The bill provides Utah families with a private-school tuition voucher ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student attending a private school, based on the parents' income. HB148 also appropriated $9.2 million for mitigation money to offset any financial impact that school districts may experience for five years after a student leaves and goes to a private school.

But voucher opponents — Utahns for Public Schools, a group that includes the Utah PTA, Utah Education Association and the NAACP — felt that public money should not go to private schools.