The voucher program, which was approved by the Legislature this past spring, would provide Utah families with a private-school tuition voucher, ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student, based on the parents' income.

It also would appropriate $9.2 million for mitigation money to hold schools harmless for five years after a student leaves and goes to a private school.

The anti-voucher group Utahns for Public Schools sought a referendum last March, which would allow the public to decide if it wants a voucher program in the state. That vote is set for Nov. 6.

"I just feel that the referendum was a promise from us to citizens of the state that we would do everything we could to make sure that vouchers did not become a reality here and we intend to continue to do that," said Pat Rusk, former Utah Education Association president and member of Utahns for Public Schools.

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