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Education Law

: Edjurist

Vouchers Fail in Utah Referendum

By Justin Bathon

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The sweeping Utah Voucher plan is no more ... well at least not for a while. The plan that made headlines when it was passed was rejected by the voters Tuesday by a wide margin.

    Voters decisively rejected the will of the Utah Legislature and governor Tuesday, defeating what would have been the nation's most comprehensive education voucher program in a referendum blowout.
    "Tonight, with the eyes of the nation upon us, Utah has rejected this flawed voucher law," said Kim Campbell, president of the Utah Education Association. "We believe this sends a clear message. It sends a message that Utahns believe in, and support, public schools."
    More than 60 percent of voters were rejecting vouchers, with about 95 percent of the precincts reporting, according to unofficial results. The referendum failed in every county, including the conservative bastion of Utah County.

I will have to say I was a little surprised at the vote. It says a lot about the power that remains in the teachers unions, who were the chief opponents of the law. The Utah Education Association not only gathered the necessary signatures to force the referendum, but also took the lead in campaign advertising which totaled over 4 million, supplemented by teachers unions from other states. The result was a near landslide in the polls against the voucher law. Pretty impressive, and surprising, stuff.

Full post as published by Edjurist on November 08, 2007 (boomark / email).