Utah's New Parental Choice Voucher Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Contents...

• FAQ for parents
• FAQ for private school administrators

1.  Does my child in private school qualify to receive a voucher?

If your household meets the low-income guidelines, then your child would qualify to receive a voucher regardless of whether or not she meets any of the first 3 requirements listed in the right-hand column. 

To find out if you meet the low-income guidelines, click here.

If you do NOT meet the low-income guidelines and your child who is currently in a private school does not meet any of the first 3 requirements listed in the right hand column, then she would NOT qualify to receive a voucher.

2.  I currently home school my children, but want to send them to a private school.  Do they qualify to receive a voucher to help pay for private school tuition costs?

Same answer as Question #1, just replace the words “private school” with “home school.”

3.  Can I use a voucher to pay for homeschooling costs?

The vouchers created by the Parental Choice Voucher Program can only be used to pay for tuition costs at a participating private school.

However, PCE does support reforms that would provide tax credits to reimburse families for the reasonable costs of home-school curriculum materials.

4.  What if I pulled my child out of private school (or home school) and enrolled her in a public school for a semester or two.  Would she qualify to receive a voucher?

Doing this would not make your child meet Requirement #1 (the public school enrollment requirement) because she would have to have been enrolled as a full-time student on January 1, 2007.  Unless your child already meets one of the remaining 3 requirements, then switching her from a private (or homeschool) to a public school would not qualify her to receive a voucher.

5.  One of my children was born before Sept 1, 2001, but we held him back a year, and he has not started kindergarten yet.  Does he qualify to receive a voucher?

Because of how the law is written, children who fall under this scenario would not qualify to receive a voucher unless they meet either requirement #3 or requirement #4.  This is the case even if you had your child back with the full intention of enrolling them in a public school.

6.  The only reason we qualify to receive a voucher is because we are considered low-income.  If my income increases above the maximum amount allowed in the low-income guidelines, will we still qualify to receive a voucher?

Unfortunately, you will not.  If your child does not meet any of the first 3 requirements and your annual income goes above the maximum amount allowed in the low-income guidelines, you will NOT be eligible to receive a voucher in the school year following the year that your income went above the low-income level.

To find out if you meet the low-income guidelines, click here.

7.  My child was enrolled in a public school for part of the year and in a private school for part of the year.  Does she qualify to receive a voucher?

It depends on when she was enrolled in a public school.  If she was enrolled in a public school (including a charter school) on Jan 1, 2007, then she would qualify for a voucher.  If she was not, then she does not qualify for a voucher (unless you meet any of the other 3 requirements).  Be sure, though, to call your child’s public school district to verify whether she was enrolled on January 1, 2007.

8.  Can I use my voucher for other educational services such as after school tutoring, part-time or dual enrollment, home school curriculum, etc.?

Vouchers can only be used to pay for tuition at eligible private schools.

9.  Can I use both a voucher and a Carson Smith Scholarship?

No, you must choose either one or the other.  Click here to find out more about the Carson Smith Scholarship.

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FAQ for Private School Administrators

coming soon.

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**Disclaimer: Although based on the text found in HB 148 (the legislation that created the Parent Choice in Education voucher program), the information in this website is an approximation of the application process and requirements that are currently being finalized by the Utah State School Board.  The exact application process and requirements will not be known until the Utah State School Board makes them available on May 15, 2007 as mandated by law.