The Utah House of Representatives recently passed universal voucher legislation that would allow taxpayer money to be taken from public schools and sent directly to religious schools. People For the American Way Director of Public Policy Tanya Clay House issued the following statement:

“This is a sad day for Utah students. No matter what kind of fuzzy math legislators push, the bottom line is that money will be taken from public schools and sent to private ones. That’s no way to help our education system.

“Children will not benefit from this program. Vouchers have always been about ideology and not education. We’ve never seen a shred of credible evidence that shows school vouchers actually help students learn. While all public schools must demonstrate success under No Child Left Behind, private schools are not held to the same level of accountability for their performance. The House of Representatives has chosen to blindly dole out taxpayer money, and it’s the students who will pay the price.

“Every child deserves an excellent education, not just those who can get admitted to a private school. A vote in favor of this legislation is a vote against public education. We hope the State Senate will stand up for Utah’s children and vote against this bill.”