Ashtyn Asay, Daily Herald file photo

House Bill 331, known as the school voucher bill, would create a new scholarship program for K-12 students in Utah, but according to Gov. Spencer Cox, that may not be a good thing. At least, not yet.

Sponsored by Rep. Candice Pierucci, R-Herriman, the bill would create the Hope Scholarship Program and utilize $36 million of Utah’s public education budget to help cover the cost of private, religious, or homeschooling expenses for certain students. The bill passed in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee by a 6-5 margin on Tuesday.

When asked during the governor’s monthly news conference yesterday if he would veto the bill if it landed on his desk, Cox responded affirmatively.

“Yeah, yeah I would,” Cox said.

According to Cox, his issue with the bill stems from the fact that he believes vouchers would add strain to the already-underfunded Utah education system.

Ashtyn Asay, Daily Herald file photo

“We have an incredible charter system of schools here in our state. We have more choice than we’ve ever had before and I think that’s good, I think that’s positive,” Cox said. “At some point, I will be absolutely willing to support vouchers, but that point is not now because we are underfunding our schools. You can’t take money that could go to our schools and allow it to go to private schools when you’re not fully funding the education system in our state.”

Cox also stated that the current average salary for teachers was too low for him to support the bill as it exists.

“With the price of housing, with inflation happening right now, I don’t want to live in a state where teachers can’t buy a home. That’s not okay,” Cox said. “So when teachers are making 60,000 a year to start I will fully support vouchers, I’m all in on vouchers. But we have a long way to go before we get there… now is not the time”

Pierucci addressed Cox’s words in a statement posted to her personal Twitter account Thursday.

“In regards to the Governor’s comments today, I’ve been communicating with his staff for the past several weeks, even prior to the bill being public to work to find common ground on this issue. His comments today do not change the legislative process or change my commitment to fine tuning this policy and finding better ways to empower parents and better meet the educational needs of Utah’s students. I hope he will keep an open mind in reviewing the final policy proposal in this bill,” she wrote.

According to the statement, Pierucci is currently working to draft a substitute for the bill.

“Since the committee hearing for H.B. 331, The Hope Scholarship, I have been working on a substitute bill that would incorporate additional accountability and assessment measures for individuals who receive the scholarship.” Pierucci wrote. “In addition, this scholarship opportunity will be available not only based on an individual’s income level but will be expanded as an option for students who have been bullied and are seeking alternative options for a safe educational experience.”

Cox isn’t the only person unsupportive of H.B. 331 — the Utah Education Association, Utah PTA, Utah chapter of the American Federation of Teachers and the Ogden Branch of the NAACP, along with other children and education advocacy groups took to Capitol Hill Friday to show their uniform opposition.

Speaking at a press conference, they echoed Cox’s concern of already sparse funds for the Utah public education system, as well as expressing concern for a perceived lack of transparency within the bill.

“House Bill 331 favors urban affluent Utahns who already have many school choice options. It allows public dollars to support schools that do not support all students, as private schools may deny enrollment for any reason and are not located in many of our rural areas,” read a press release distributed by the UEA. “HB331 requires parents to waive rights under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) denying students the very services they need to be successful.”

At a rally for public education held at the Capitol on Feb. 12, Provo Rep. Marsha Judkins discussed the legislation, saying that there are pros and cons with the complicated legislation.

“Maybe it would be appropriate for us to say homeschoolers get some funding. Right? But there also needs to be accountability. Whenever the state gives out money we need to make sure that wherever it’s going there’s accountability,” Judkins said. “Do we put the some accountability on homeschool — on a private school, for example, that we put on our public schools? Or are we just giving them money?”

While HB 331 faces its fair share of opposition, there are also those who believe the bill could help change the Utah education system for the better.

According to Heather Andrews, the state director for Americans for Prosperity-Utah, her organization believes that HB331 could be a great asset to both teachers and students.

“It’s a great thing for teachers, teachers are constantly talking about over-crowdedness in classrooms and feeling like they don’t have the resources they need to handle some students that may need more help,” Andrews said. “This will provide parents more options to be able to help those students instead of keeping them in the public education system.”

As a mother herself, Andrews stated that it can be difficult finding the right school to suit your children’s needs, especially if you don’t have the financial means to transfer schools. She believes that the Hope Scholarship Fund could be a great resource for children with different learning styles, as well as a fix for student safety issues.

“My daughter went through significant bullying and did not feel safe at her middle school and at that time we were not in a place where we could provide her any other options, and there wasn’t many options available to us besides public school,” Andrew said. “Had this scholarship been available, I think it would have provided an option for her … I do see this as an out for a lot of families.”

According to Andrews, Cox’s statements about the lack of funding to support the bill don’t exactly ring true. Aside from Utah’s General Fund, the state’s Education Fund is the second-largest budget with $4,978,811,500 appropriated for the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

This may not, however, stay true in the future. The state tax cut of $200 million passed by the Legislature earlier this session was paid for through the public and higher education.

“The legislature has done a great job prioritizing funding, especially in the last several years for public education… I think it’s not necessarily a funding issue, it’s a prioritization and allocation issue,” Andrews said. “This scholarship program is less than 1% of the education budget. Some bills that are before the legislature that they’re looking at passing… take 5 to 8 times more than that from the education budget and yet no one’s talking about those.”

According to a recent EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker that was last updated on Feb. 2, Andrews and the rest of American’s for Prosperity-Utah aren’t the only ones who would support a scholarship or voucher program, approximately 69% of adults and 63% of school parents in Utah support voucher systems similar to HB331.

H.B. 331 has returned to the Floor, and will eventually be debated in an open session.

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