State Republican who voted against vouchers says 'do the math'

Rep. Sheryl Allen (R–Bountiful) in the Deseret News:

Mr. Webb said there would be a saving of $1.37 billion cumulatively in 13 years if vouchers are passed. It mistakenly assumes that all students who accept vouchers will transfer from public schools. It will not be so. The most significant block of eligible voucher recipients would be the thousands of future students who would attend private schools even without vouchers and home-schooled students who will transfer to private schools. There will be no savings associated with these students, because they are not currently funded by tax dollars. There will only be costs. [...]

Voters, do the math. During the first year of voucher implementation, the savings vs. cost of vouchers is uncertain. However, when fully implemented, the Parent Choice in Education Program will cost school districts somewhere between $43 million to $60 million per year. That's the harsh reality for public schools and taxpayers.

Vouchers may or may not reduce class size. The number of teachers per school is determined by the enrollment of the school. If student enrollment goes down by a class size (about 17 to 20 students), fewer teachers are hired to teach in that school. There is no guarantee at all of class-size reduction. With fewer teachers, some class sizes — likely many — may be increased. It's the nature of student/teacher distribution.