Are school vouchers financially sound?

I posted this to a message board on September 19, 2008:

Last year Utah voters rejected vouchers with 62% opposed and no county had a majority of support. I voted against it. I know some Republicans were surprised by the result, but Utah is unique with more than just religion. My main objection to it was that I did not see why the state should pay for it. I read an editorial along the same lines talking about the cost. Students would have been given between $500 to $3000.

If you opt out of the public school system I think you should opt out of the public funds as well. Isn't the point of going to a private school to get government out of education?

Another part of the financial side is that the public schools would still need to provide supplies and teachers and the savings probably wouldn't be significant, so I wondered if taxes would have to be increased to pay for the vouchers. Utah is very efficient with education dollars. We give our students a very low amount but this tends to yield high results. I enjoyed the public school experience and I think teachers here are more conservative than elsewhere so we don't have to deal with the political garbage as often.

If you can afford private school and for whatever reason such as religious views or better education want to send your kids to one, then I support your decision. When I have kids I will definitely look into the private area if I can afford to in the hopes of giving my kids a more specialized and advanced education.