Fund the Student, Not the Seat

Utah has long been a pioneer in recognizing that education is not one-size-fits-all. I am incredibly proud to live in a state that is willing to fund students rather than just systems. However, as we move into another legislative session, we face a crossroads. The current tiered funding model of the Utah Fits All scholarship threatens to undermine the very freedom it was designed to create.

This issue hits home for me both professionally and personally. If we truly want Utah to “fit all,” we must value every student’s education equally, whether that education happens in a private school seat or at a kitchen table.

The Context: A Strategic Choice

Last year, I wrote a post about the funding changes that resulted in homeschooling students receiving significantly less funding than private school students. Those changes went into effect this year, and it forced me to make some difficult decisions for my family.

My 6th-grade daughter had decided to homeschool this year so that we could focus intensely on her reading. However, under the tiered funding model, if I directly homeschooled her, I would have access to only $4,000 for her education. If I enrolled her in a private school, that amount doubled to $8,000.

Faced with this disparity, I had to make a strategic choice to provide the best resources for her specific needs. I found a private school that offered a full basic education for a low price. We enrolled her with the hope that the structure would support her while allowing us to utilize the remaining resources for specialized dyslexia tutoring.

The school we chose is excellent, and I have no complaints about the quality of instruction. It was a blessing to have that support when I faced unexpected health challenges this year. However, the reality of our year was an ironic twist. Because we were tied to the private school’s schedule and curriculum, our focus shifted from addressing her root challenges to simply keeping up with grade-level work. The very thing we brought her home to fix fell by the wayside as our time and energy were consumed by the demands of fitting into the school’s model. We never ended up getting that dyslexia tutoring, simply because the structure of the school we chose for funding crowded out the time and energy we needed for intervention.

The Landscape is Changing Again

Now, the legislature is considering changes to the UFA bill that would alter the landscape once more. They are working to reclassify Online Private Schools so they no longer qualify for private school funding, effectively treating them as homeschools with reduced support.

I understand the legislature’s position. They are trying to be responsible stewards of tax dollars and prevent “pop-up” schools that might seem to exist only to capture additional funding. But I feel strongly that we are solving the wrong problem.

The question shouldn’t be “do online private schools provide the same value as brick-and-mortar schools?” The question should be: Why are we valuing some kids’ educations more highly than others just because they are tied to a single specific institution rather than other high-quality educational providers?

A Tale of Two English Classes

To illustrate the flaw in valuing “classroom” time over “independent” time, I want to share the experience of my 16-year-old son. This week I’ve been working with him on his English portfolio to use his homeschooling experience to gain the privilege of taking the Credit by Exam for English at BYU Online High School. He was homeschooled for 9th & 10th grade; however, he took the first semester of 11th grade English through BYU OHS.

Comparing his accredited coursework to his independent study reveals a stark difference in rigor:

• The Accredited Class: For his 11th grade 1st semester English class, he was required to read two books, alongside standard essays, lectures, and other shorter readings.
• The Independent Portfolio: In contrast, his homeschool English portfolio documents over 500 hours of speech & debate lectures, research, and competition, and a reading log of over 350 individual books, including complex works by Orwell, Tolkien, and Herbert. He also participated in the International Public Policy Forum essay contest twice and gained real-world skills that far exceed standard requirements.

I am not devaluing the accredited class; it fills exactly the niche that it needs to for a standard 11th-grade English experience. But how can the state decide that my son’s independent experience is worth less funding than that standard classroom experience?

Make no mistake—independent learning is not free. We have spent over $2,000 on his debate program alone, plus the cost of books, infrastructure, and supplies to provide his learning experience at home. The cost of the accredited class was roughly similar, but the value he gained from his independent work was exponentially higher.

The Opportunity Cost

This brings me back to my daughter. While her year was good, her education would have been richer if we hadn’t been incentivized to choose a private school over homeschooling.

• Curriculum: Instead of repeating topics, we could have used our preferred curriculum to broaden her horizons in history.
• Science: We could have focused deeply on hands-on experiments rather than standard worksheets.
• Dyslexia Support: Instead of a math study hall that didn’t serve her, we could have chosen resources specifically geared toward her learning style.

We could not have provided all of that for under $4,000. Because of the tiered system, we weren’t truly free to choose the “best” fit; we had to choose the “best funded” fit.

A Note of Gratitude

I want to be very clear: I am deeply grateful. Having homeschooled on a much smaller budget for nearly a decade, the contrast is stark. It is incredible to see how many opportunities have opened up for my children simply by giving them any part of the funding allocated for education in our state. I recognize that not all states are this forward-thinking, and I want to express my sincere thanks to the legislators who have worked tirelessly to bring this program to life. It has been a privilege to work with my children to build the best possible education for them, rather than fitting them into a box.

I am not ungrateful for $4,000, or $6,000, or $8,000. Any support is a step forward. My concern is not about the amount itself, but about the message sent by a tiered system: that a homeschooler is “worth less” than a private schooler.

Conclusion

If we want Utah Education to Fit All, then we need to treat ALL students as though their educations are equally valuable.

The problem of parents or schools shifting categories to maximize dollars only exists because the discriminatory tiers exist. If every student were funded equally, parents would simply choose the education that works best, without having to calculate which option buys the most tutoring.

Legislators, please: Remove the tiers. Trust parents. Fund the student, not the building.

Transparency Note: I work as a robotics coach for the Independent Education Program. Our students are homeschoolers, and very few would qualify for the higher tier of private school funding—especially if online options are taken away. Giving them less funding directly impacts who is able to sign up for our high-quality non-accredited classes. As the program rules require, I do not use any of my children’s Utah Fits All scholarship funds to pay for any classes that I teach or directly profit from. I am not writing this as an employee of that program, but as a mom who has used their programs—as well as many other similar providers—over the years to build a customized education for my children. My views here are my own and should not be construed as being endorsed by my employer or anyone other than myself.