The 1994 Utah Legislature may consider another foray into the controversial territory of school vouchers that allow families to apply public money toward education in private schools. Previous proposals for vouchers have failed.
A bill, SB31, has been prefiled, proposing that children from poor families be allowed to use their share of public school money to attend a private school. Schools sponsored by religious groups would not qualify.The bill also would limit the voucher choice to students in Salt Lake County who live in Granite, Jordan, Murray or Salt Lake districts.
The sponsor, Sen. Brent C. Richards, R-Riverton, said it is possible that other districts that have large urban populations, such as Ogden, also could be considered as the bill is discussed.
"This is a Milwaukee-type opportunity for students who are at risk to find alternative educational resources," said Richards.
In Milwaukee, however, a similar program has not proved to give children any better education than they receive in the city's public schools, said Doug Haselow, chief lobbyist for the school district.
Annual standardized tests have been "inconclusive . . . They don't show that the children in the program did either better or worse than those who stayed in the public schools," Haselow said.
Many of the students who transferred to a private school have returned to the public system. Although the number of students participating has grown slightly each year, "there is a high departure rate," he said. Of the 340 students who participated the first year, "only 155 came back for the second," he added.
The Milwaukee Legislature authorized about $2,400 in the first year for each student to pay for private education, and the amount has increased approximately $100 each year, commensurate with the general increase in education funding. The average per-student expenditure for education in Wisconsin, from all sources, is about $6,000, Haselow said.
Participating private schools must accept the state-authorized tuition as payment in full for a standard school year.
Richards' proposal as written would allow the full state contribution to education in Utah (currently $1,490) to follow the child to whatever school he chooses. But Richards said he might be willing to reduce the amount so that part of the money stays in the public schools, "as a bargaining point."
The bill would apply to students from families whose income is up to 1.75 times the poverty level as established by the federal government - approximately $21,000 for a family of four under the current guidelines. The students could enroll in private schools that are in compliance with state health and safety laws or codes that apply to public schools.
No more than 5 percent of a district's students could opt for the private alternative. The State Board of Education would be required to monitor the participating private schools and submit an annual report to the Legislature. Performance standards for the private schools are outlined in the bill.
Richards said he believes the number of openings in private schools in Salt Lake County probably would not accommodate many students at present. Utah has one of the lowest percentages among the state of students in private schools. However, he said, he believes the legislation would encourage interested people to "form their own neighborhood schools."
In Milwaukee, a city of more than 630,000 where there is a large number of small private schools, transportation has not been a problem, Haselow said. The question of transporting children, however, has been a deterrent to free choice in Utah for many years.
Richards said he believes the problem would not be insurmountable for parents interested in having their children in a private school. "They will find a way," he said.
Darrell White, executive for the State School Boards Association said he believes such a close public/private school relationship could actually dilute the role of private schools.
"We feel there is an important place for private education in this country and in Utah, but when you provide public money and the controls that inevitably go with the money, those schools become semi-public and you jeopardize their value," he said. The USBA has historically fought against such measures.