I would hate to see the options of more parental choice silenced for a decade while we continue to struggle with improving our public education.

The referendum that we voted down was actually pushed by the anti-voucher people. This method is likely to be used in other states to stop debate.

In that regard, I would suggest other states interested in vouchers actually start the process with a referendum. The referendum would simply authorize the government to come up with a mechanism of vouchers or tax credits to aid parental choice. Otherwise the vote will always be lost on the specifics of the bill and not on the question of parental choice.

re David:
This is the end of vouchers in Utah for a long time. That’s how the referendum will be spun. Nuanced decisions for voting no, like David’s justifications, will be lost.

It’s sad because Utah schools are only average according to the standardized test such as the National Assessment on Educational Progress. http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/profile.asp

Only 39% of 4th graders are proficient at Math (over the past 15 years this has dramatically improved, but Utah’s improvement has mirrored that national trend). Only 30% of 8th grades read proficiently at their grade level. Only 33 percent of 4 and 8th graders are proficient at their grade level in science. A mere 20 percent of 4th graders write proficiently at their grade level.

This is sad. Many argue that Utah didn’t need vouchers because its schools are “good enough.” These numbers don’t suggest that Utah schools are good enough. It suggests that Utah’s schools need help–a lot of help. The voucher program was one way to create new incentives to hopefully produce better academic results. That is obviously debatable, but this is the end of the line for a voucher program for this generation of Utah’s students.