SALT LAKE CITY — By a 54-20 vote, the Utah House voted to pass a bill that will raise teacher salaries, but also create a voucher program where students can receive public funds to attend private school.
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House Bill 215 sponsored by Rep. Candice Pierucci (R-Herriman) will cost taxpayers $42 million to fund the "Utah Fits All Scholarship" program, which opponents fear will take students away from Utah's public schools.
The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Despite public school teachers receiving a $6,000 raise under the program, it was opposed by the Utah Education Association, the state's largest teachers union.
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The program will give families $8,000 to use on a public school or homeschooling education for their children.
"When you start taking moneys from public education and giving it to private schools? There will be more opportunity gaps," said UEA President Renée Pinkney last week. "Anytime you’re taking scarce resources from public education students — and 90% of students are public students — you’re shortchanging them."
The Utah PTA has also expressed its opposition to the bill for similar reasons.
The organization wrote in a statement to FOX 13 News on Saturday:
"Although Utah PTA supports the teacher salary increase and we appreciate that efforts were made to improve the accountability within the bill, we cannot support this bill. The first priority of the legislature should be to establish and maintain the public education system and to provide for our students within the system. Unfortunately this bill appears to benefit students who leave the system and leaves our most at-risk students behind. We strongly disapprove of how this bill has been rushed through with little stakeholder input and would request that the process be slowed down and guardrails be implemented to truly provide quality educational opportunities for all students."
