A report filed by Odyssey, the program manager for Utah Fits All, to the Legislature this month discloses how $94.7 million in state funds were spent during the 2025-2026 school year. The report, which outlines expenditures for 14,522 students, has intensified the ongoing debate among state lawmakers regarding Utah's school choice program.
According to the report, approximately $57 million was used for tuition and fees in private schools. Another $27 million was spent on educational goods, including software, applications, supplies, electronics, and textbooks. Specific large expenditures within this category included about $1.9 million for art supplies, $2.5 million for learning manipulatives, $2.3 million for STEM kits, $2.2 million for curriculum textbooks, $2.3 million for laptops, $1.3 million for tablets, and $1.1 million for 3D printers. Over $10.6 million of the scholarships were allocated for services such as after-school or summer programs, educational therapies, and tutoring services.
Representative John Arthur, a Democrat from Holladay and an elementary school teacher, expressed strong concerns about the spending detailed in the report. He described the purchases as extravagant, noting his personal experience of buying classroom supplies for his own students. Arthur highlighted the $468,000 spent on headphones as particularly troubling, contrasting it with his need to conduct a donation drive to acquire headphones with microphones for his multilingual learners. He also voiced apprehension about electronics purchases, especially given the Legislature's recent efforts to reduce children's screen time and the disparity in opportunities for other students in the state. Arthur believes the funds are going directly to private or religious schools or into the homes of recipients, rather than supporting public education.
In contrast, Utah House Majority Whip Candice Pierucci, a Republican from Herriman, viewed the report positively. She emphasized that the Legislature had made substantial changes to ensure all expenses have 'a clear nexus and tie to education.' Pierucci asserted that the Utah Fits All program meets rigid financial requirements and is audited annually, distinguishing it from other state education programs. She advocated for empowering parents to make educational decisions for their children, rejecting a 'one-size-fits-all approach.' Pierucci also countered the argument that the program detracts from public schools, citing a $1.8 billion, or 44.2%, increase in state funding for public education over the past five years, despite declining enrollment. She also stated that any family in the state can apply for the scholarship and that regular school districts offer similar programs.
The program saw significant changes from the previous year. Lawmakers reduced the annual scholarship amount for homeschool learners, decreasing it from $8,000 to $4,000 for students aged 5 to 11, and to $6,000 for those aged 12 to 18. Private school students remain eligible for $8,000 annually. These adjustments led to a shift in recipient demographics; approximately 80% of recipients were homeschooled last year, a figure that dropped to almost 48% this year, with the remaining 52% attending private schools. Other new restrictions included a 20% cap for extracurriculars and physical education, along with the explicit exclusion of items like ski passes, furniture, musical instruments, and apparel from allowable expenses.
Utah Fits All continues to operate while awaiting a ruling on its constitutionality from the Utah Supreme Court. Last spring, a 3rd District judge declared the program unconstitutional, stating it was 'a program within the public education system that is not free and is not ‘open to all the children of Utah’' and diverted constitutionally appropriated funds from public schools. Republican state leaders are currently appealing that decision. The Utah Education Association, which filed the lawsuit against the program, reiterated its stance, with UEA President Renée Pinkney stating, 'Public money belongs in public schools.'
Odyssey's cost to administer the Utah Fits All program for the 2025-2026 year was $4.8 million. This figure is about half of the $9 million the Utah State Board of Education awarded to ACE Scholarships, the previous program manager, before terminating their contract after one year.
