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Vouchers and Referendum 1

The Utahns for Public Schools coalition was formed in response to the Utah Legislature's narrow passage of a private school voucher proposal during the 2007 General Session. UTPS members organized an unprecedented petition drive to put the proposal on the ballot, so that Utah voters would have a say in whether the program would be implemented. Following the petition drive, UTPS led the campaign against the voucher proposal, titled Referendum 1, and educated Utah voters about its flaws and the potential consequences of its implementation.

This section provides information on Referendum 1 — which voters overwhelmingly rejected at the polls in 2007 — as well as general information on vouchers as public policy.

• Election results and breakdown

The Truth about Vouchers

From an education standpoint, vouchers make no sense, especially in Utah. At least 96 percent of all students attend public schools in Utah (the highest rate in the nation). Based on experiences in other places with vouchers, the primary beneficiaries will be parents who would have sent their children to private schools anyway. Grand theories aside, vouchers have not improved student achievement — either for students in private schools or for students in surrounding public schools.

Proposed voucher programs, such as the recently defeated Referendum 1 in 2007, would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, money that would have a greater impact if it were devoted to research-based reforms like smaller class size, full-day kindergarten, after school programs, and up-to-date books, materials and equipment.

Click on the links below to learn more about why vouchers are a bad idea for Utah's students:

• What Does the Research Say?
• Myths and Facts about Vouchers
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Voucher Law Consequences
• Good News about Public Schools in Utah
• How Did Your Representative Vote?
• How Did Your Senator Vote?

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