Vouchers killed

Supporters say it was a worthy fight. But after eight full months of aggressive campaigning and millions of dollars spent on the battle, the voucher law was rejected by Utah voters.

Election results  » State of Utah Elections Office (Lieutenant Governor's Office)  » Salt Lake County Clerk

Opponents are relieved. And while some voucher proponents say they are at least satisfied with how far they had come, others say the 62 percent vote that defeated the private school voucher law — which lost in every county in the state — is a disgrace.

"I'm ashamed of Utah that this could even be a close vote," said Patrick Byrne, CEO of Overstock.com, who has donated millions of dollars to support vouchers. "This is parents looking at their kids getting a third-rate education and other kids getting basically a death sentence and saying, 'That's OK by me."'

But those on the anti-voucher front were hugging and cheering Tuesday night. Voucher critics say the vote sends a potent message to the legislators who passed the law last spring.

"I think it shows that Utah voters care about all Utah children and they care about putting all the resources we have in the state in public schools where they can be available for all children," said Lisa Johnson, spokeswoman for the anti-voucher Utahns for Public Schools.

"So for us this is the end of a campaign but really a beginning as well — we look forward to working with the Legislature and others in the education community and working on meaningful reforms that will help all students," she said.

The voucher law, which squeaked through the Legislature, would have provided Utah families with a private-school tuition voucher ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student based on the parents' income.

In March, Utahns for Public Schools successfully gathered enough signatures for the referendum that would allow Utahns to decide whether they wanted a voucher program. The law was put on hold pending Tuesday's vote but is now off the books.

"This sends a strong message to us as legislators to represent the constituents that elect us — we're not here for political party, we're not here for the issue — we're there to represent the voice of the people and if we don't do that, then we don't deserve to be re-elected," said Rep. Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville, who voted against vouchers during the legislative session.

Utah House Speaker Greg Curtis said that with the voucher law defeat, "we'll take a time out" in the 2008 Legislature: no voucher bills.

"I've talked with Gov. (Jon) Huntsman (Jr.) and other leaders," Curtis, R-Sandy, said Tuesday night. "We are not going to do anything on vouchers next session."