We support Utah teachers without gutting public education funding

In December, Governor Spencer Cox introduced his proposed annual budget, which included a proposed pay raise for teachers. On the surface, this proposal indicates much needed support of our overstretched educators. But this support comes with strings attached.

On December 30, House Education Committee Chair Candace Pierucci confirmed in a KSL news article that a school voucher bill would be introduced during the 2023 legislative session. It is being called “Utah Fits All”, vouchers are being called “scholarships”, and it comes complete with a website and apparent support from Governor Cox. Pierucci told KSL, “I have worked to where we would be able to give teachers a pay increase while also giving parents additional options for their kids.”

HB0215 titled “Funding for Teacher Salaries and Optional Education Opportunities” was officially filed this week and passed by the House Education Committee yesterday in a 12-4 vote. The bill is 27 pages long and can be found here.

Compassion Coalition is strongly against a school voucher program for Utah. Among many reasons, we oppose vouchers – sometimes referred to as “parent choice” programs – because they divert crucial funds from an already underfunded public school system (Utah ranks 50th nationally for student spending.). In addition, Utahns have previously rejected vouchers in an overwhelming fashion. So-called “parent choice” is not the will of the people of Utah.

We fully support a pay raise for Utah teachers, who have carried an enormous load for too long and deserve all the support we can offer. That support needs to be unconditional, and certainly not tied to an unpopular initiative that would further deplete funding to Utah’s resource-starved public schools.

What is a school voucher?

According to the National School Boards Association (NSBA), school vouchers are defined as education tax dollars that are diverted from public schools to help subsidize the tuition of private and religious schools.

The history of vouchers in Utah

In 2007, Utah Lawmakers passed a school voucher bill, which was later overwhelmingly rejected by voters. According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the bill that was passed by the legislature would have offered tax-supported subsidies between $500 - $3,000 – depending on family income – for each student newly enrolled in a private school. It also would have been the country’s broadest voucher program because it would have had no income ceiling and was projected to cost taxpayers $430 million. This bill was ultimately repealed when enough signatures were secured to put a referendum on the ballot. Over 60% of voters voted to repeal the school voucher bill.

During the 2022 legislative session, another voucher bill was introduced by Rep. Candace Pierucci and co-sponsored by Kirk Cullimore. It was called the “Hope Scholarship Bill” and ultimately would have diverted $36 million away from public education. The bill passed the senate, but was struck down by the House in a 22-53 vote.

Why school voucher programs harm public education

There are many arguments for and against school voucher programs. As of October 2021, voucher programs were available in 32 states and the District of Columbia.

Voucher programs divert funds from public schools

According to research done at NYU Steinhardt Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative, “Voucher programs reduce available funding for public schools. Whether they are funded directly with public dollars, or funded through tax credits, vouchers reduce the amount of money available to public schools…Indiana’s voucher programs together cost the state’s public schools $115 million in transferred revenues in the 2014-2015 school year alone. An evaluation of the state’s programs confirmed that diverting taxpayer dollars away from the state’s public education system, into lower-performing private religious schools, was likely to lower student achievement in the state over time.”

Diverting funding often disproportionately affects students of color and low-income students because funding is taken away from public schools that serve a majority of students. With school choice, there comes a certain amount of privilege. Many families that the school voucher programs target are not able to attend schools of choice because of family dynamics, including transportation and scheduling issues.

Private schools lack transparency and accountability

Private schools that participate in voucher programs lack accountability to taxpayers. From teacher certification requirements to minimum performance standards, there is a lack of oversight of private school operations.

Financial transparency is another issue. Since there is no government oversight into how private schools spend the funds they are provided, funds may easily be mismanaged.

In February 2020, the EdWeek Research Center conducted a survey regarding state policies on public reporting and transparency when it comes to school choice programs. The key takeaways include:

• Just six states require that all participating private schools admit students regardless of their religion, while only three require participating private schools to admit students regardless of their sexual orientation.

• Only 11 require that all teachers in participating private schools have a bachelor’s degree.

• Fourteen mandate that schools conduct criminal background checks on all staff before accepting tuition paid with the help of state aid.

• And only six states require schools to publicly report their graduation rates.

Those and other findings demonstrate the relatively thin state oversight these programs operate under, especially when compared to the tight regulation and governance of public schools.

School Voucher programs introduce many issues related to public education, with little concrete research and evidence of making large strides in an individual’s education. The Utah Legislature’s action of tying teacher raises to a school voucher program is an attempt to garner public support for a voucher program by masking it as a move to support our public educators. Contact your representatives today and tell them to vote no on HB0215 and that you oppose a school voucher program for Utah to ensure the well-being of ALL Utah students. If you need to find your representatives, click here.