UTAH MUST REPEAL ITS COSTLY AND INEFFECTIVE SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM
REPORT:
Author: Vincent Carson
Created for Public Policy Analysis, Spring 2024, University of Utah
Published April 13, 2024
During the 2023 legislative session, Utah lawmakers passed H.B. 215 Funding for Teacher Salaries and Optional Education Opportunities. During a year with a significant amount of high-controversy legislation, this bill, known colloquially as the school voucher bill, garnered a huge amount of attention from critics. And rightfully so – Utah’s school voucher program systematically diverts funds out of our ailing public education system and gives it to unregulated religious and private schools with little to no oversight.
A year into this program’s life, the voucher program has shown to be a costly failure that harms Utah's schools and students. We must repeal this legislation immediately.
What's the problem, exactly?
You know that flat 4.85% tax that Utah takes out of your paychecks? The Utah Constitution requires that revenue from that tax goes exclusively to education and (some) social services. This is a somewhat unique model nationwide, and that income tax makes up about 75% of Utah's education funding. The other quarter comes from federal funding and local property taxes.
​
What this means that education funding can vary wildly from year-to-year because it is impacted by the 'health' of the economy. Also, this makes it difficult for Utah's lawmakers to increase education spending, because oftentimes that requires a direct increase in income taxes.
Utah Ranks 49 of 50 in Per-Pupil Spending
Map courtesy of WiseVoter. State-by-state spending data can be found here.
Utah ranks an abysmal #49 in per-pupil spending - which is actually a slight improvement from previous calculations. Utah spent over twenty years dead-last in this vital metric.
​
Utah spent $8,014 per student in 2021, just barely nudging our northern neighbors in Idaho who spent $7,985 per student. That's a far cry from the top spending state, New York, which allocated $25,139 per student - almost triple our expenditure.
​
So, wouldn't legislation that encourages parents to send their children to private schools increase funding available for schools?
Utah's School Voucher Program Takes Money Away from Public Schools
The 'Utah Fits All Scholarship Program' allows parents to access up to $8,000 per K-12 student to pay for private education options like home school, private school, and online school. The legislature allocated $40 million to this program in 2023, and increased that to $80 million in 2024. These funds come directly from the state pool of money that funds public schools.
​
The Salt Lake Tribune reported in 2024 that private and home school expenses are not the only things that parents can use these funds for. In fact, parents can use the funds for vocal classes, swim lessons, and a huge variety of field trips.
 |
|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Text of H.B. 215
Laws like this are somewhat new. Arizona only became the first state to have a universal voucher program in December 2022. However, abuses in the Arizona system due to lack of oversight are already being reported. Some parents even brag about using state funds on Disney+ subscriptions, kayaks, and trampolines.
School Vouchers Are an Outcome of Unnecessary Culture Wars
Perhaps the most egregious accountability issues with Utah's school voucher bill is that it funnels public funds into private religious schools and institutions.
“But if you ask, why more vouchers now, you also have to ask: Why attacks on LGBTQ students now? Why book bans now? It’s all part of the plan to destabilize public education. These lawmakers and their financial supporters don’t care about educational outcomes, and they don’t care that they blow through state budgets.”'
Josh Cowen, PhD
Author of The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers
The National Education Association reports that school voucher programs represent efforts to defund and privatize public education. Is this what our students deserve?
These Programs Harm Our Students
School Vouchers Exacerbate Racial Segregation
In an interview about his new book The Choice We Face, author Jon Hale links modern voucher programs to Jim Crow-era efforts to enforce racial segregation in American schools.
"Advocates of charter schools and vouchers have been very strategic in how they use language – the "right" to choose a school, for example. [...] But when you look at how it operates, it is a racist policy ground in white supremacy. The language of choice allows us to ignore and dismiss the deeply racist systemic policies at play here."
Jon Hale, PhD
Author of The Choice We Face
Beyond the history of school vouchers and choice being rife with racist and segregationist intent, a disregard for equity is built directly into this policy. This is evident by scholarships lacking a financial need requirement - families of any income level quality for Utah's scholarship program according to the FAQs from a group supporting the program.
Most Students Benefiting from School Vouchers Were Never Even in Public Schools
Maybe the most damning argument against school vouchers 'helping students' is that the large majority of recipients already do not participate in public schools. State data from all over the country has shown that the primary beneficiaries of voucher programs are those already attending private or home schools.
The first round of Utah's voucher applications are still open, so we don't quite yet know who the beneficiaries will be. However, there is some early indication that Utah will follow national trends.
​
Why should school vouchers benefit parents who can already pay to send their children to private school?
Voucher Programs Have Little to No Effect on Student Achievement
So What Can We Do?
Support Candidates Who Oppose School Vouchers
Utah has a healthy opposition to school voucher programs. The original legislation saw bipartisan opposition in the Senate, with multiple republicans joining democratic opposition.
​
Utah Has Defeated Similar Programs Before!
In 2007, Utah voters overwhelmingly rejected universal school vouchers through a 'citizens veto' ballot initiative. 62 percent of voters in that election said no to vouchers, taking down the law.
​
There isn't yet a referendum similar to the one in 2007, but that doesn't mean that taking down our current voucher law is impossible!
Image courtesy of Douglas C. Pizac/AP.
Contact Your Representatives
It's simple to contact your legislators about the school voucher bill!
First, find your legislators on the map below:
Then, copy and paste the email template below, personalize it, and send it off!
Dear Senator/Representative [Name],
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the Utah Fits All Scholarship, better known as the School Voucher Bill. I believe that this bill could have significant negative consequences for public education in our state.
​
Here are some reasons why I believe this program harms Utah's educational system:
-
Impact on Public Schools Funding: This voucher system diverts essential funds away from public schools, compromising the quality of education and resources available to all students.
-
Equity and Access: Vouchers do not ensure equitable access to quality education for all students, especially those from low-income families or marginalized communities. This will widen existing educational disparities.
-
Accountability: Public schools operate under stringent accountability measures to ensure transparency and effective use of taxpayer funds. Voucher programs lack similar levels of oversight and accountability.
​
I urge you to consider these concerns and prioritize the preservation and improvement of our public education system. Investing in our public schools benefits not only current students but also future generations and the overall well-being of our society.
​
Thank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to hearing your perspective on this issue and hope that we can work together to ensure a strong and equitable education system for all of Utah's students.
​
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Contact Information]
Works Cited
Caldwell, A. A., & Barnum, M. (2023, December 3). Vouchers Helping Families Already in Private School, Early Data Show. WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/vouchers-helping-families-already-in-private-school-early-data-show-47ced812 Funding for Teacher Salaries and Optional Education Opportunities, H.B. 215, Utah Legislature 2023 (2023). https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0215.html Harris, M. (2024, January 16). Curious how Utah’s ed budget is put together? Here’s a quick guide. KUER. https://www.kuer.org/education/2024-01-15/curious-how-utahs-ed-budget-is-put-together-heres-a-quick-guide Jacobson, L. (2023, February 7). Arizona Parents are Using Public Ed $ for Kayaks, Trampolines & SeaWorld Tickets. Yahoo News. https://news.yahoo.com/arizona-parents-using-public-ed-121500653.html Johnston, P. (2024, March 13). Utah’s school choice scholarship attracts more homeschoolers. KSLNewsRadio. https://kslnewsradio.com/2087663/utahs-school-choice-scholarship-attracts-more-homeschoolers/ Lee, M., & Schott, B. (n.d.). Utah’s largest teachers union opposes diverting money from education, after staying neutral for a year. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved April 14, 2024, from https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2024/03/15/after-staying-neutral-year-utahs/ Lieberman, M. (2023, October 4). Most Students Getting New School Choice Funds Aren’t Ditching Public Schools. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/most-students-getting-new-school-choice-funds-arent-ditching-public-schools/2023/10 Lowell, J. (2024, March 14). Utah education funding gets thumbs down from UEA. KSLNewsRadio. https://kslnewsradio.com/2088134/utah-education-association-education-funding/ McNeil, M. (2007, November 7). Utah Vouchers Rejected in Overwhelming Vote. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/utah-vouchers-rejected-in-overwhelming-vote/2007/11 Nesbitt, C. (2024, March 8). Your tax dollars can pay for another kid’s violin lessons or swim classes—All through vouchers. The Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2024/03/08/your-tax-dollars-could-pay-another/ Tanner, C. (2020, May 12). Utah ranks No. 51 in per-pupil spending behind Idaho. The Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2020/05/12/utah-dead-last-again-per/ Utah Education Fits All. (2022, December 12). FAQs—Utah Education Fits All. https://www.utaheducationfitsall.org/faqs/ Walker, T. (2021, August 19). A ‘Choice’ Grounded in Exclusion and Inequality | NEA. NEAToday. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/choice-grounded-exclusion-and-inequality Walker, T. (2024, February 2). ‘No Accountability’: Vouchers Wreak Havoc on States | NEA. NEAToday. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/no-accountability-vouchers-wreak-havoc-states