Navigating the Fog Around School Vouchers

A veritable mailstorm of flyers is arriving on my doorstep from proponents and opponents of Referendum One. So far, this is what I've concluded about the conflicting claims:

What is the average private school tuition – the $8000 claimed by opponents or the $4000 claimed by proponents?

Most of the difference appears to come from whether you use figures for Gr.1-12, or whether you use figures for just elementary school. The opponents are using Gr. 1-12 data. The proponents are using elementary-grade data, although I haven’t yet determined just which grades are included. Tuition at private schools usually rises substantially with grade level, so calculating from different data accounts for most of the $4000 disparity.

Are private schools held to the same accountability standards as public schools?

• meet financial standards, verified by an audit
• have a physical location in Utah where students “attend classes and have direct contact with the school’s teachers” – which may include on-line schools
• provide to parents, on request, information on teacher credentials and on what accreditation, if any, the school holds
• must have at least 40 students, and cannot operate in a residence

Here is a short list of significant differences that H.B. 148 allows (Section 53A-1a-805)

• Private schools must “meet state and local health and safety laws and codes”, but these may be looser codes than the strict fire and safety codes public schools must meet
• Private school teachers must “hold baccalaureate or higher degrees OR have special skills, knowledge, or expertise that qualifies them to provide instruction in the subjects taught” – which could be expertise in intelligent design, rather than modern biological theory of evolution
• Private schools are not required to provide services to children with disabilities, and if they do, they may charge extra – they merely have to state what they provide up front. OTOH,public schools are required by law to provide services and accomodations to these children