Minorities for Vouchers plans to go door to door to counter the loudest minority organization voice on the issue so far, the Salt Lake City branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The NAACP claims vouchers would lead to more segregated schools.

Minorities for Vouchers, which claims 47 members, has a different take.

"Private and public schools can coexist. I think they can help each other," said Bobby Porter, a minister and director of student development at Layton Christian Academy who chairs Minorities for Vouchers.

Porter's group estimates the average tuition for Utah private schools is about $4,500, a figure far lower than the roughly $8,000 quoted by the anti-voucher group Utahns for Public Schools. He said his number excludes Utah's most expensive private schools because they skewed the number much higher. Voucher opponents say an average should include all schools.

He said a few thousand dollars would go a long way toward helping make private education affordable to minority students, who as groups often lag behind their white peers in terms of academic performance.

The voucher law, if it passes in a November referendum, would give most interested Utah students $500 to $3,000 toward private school tuition, depending on income. Students already enrolled in private schools would not be eligible unless they met certain low-income requirements. Utah public schools would still get state money for five years for students who transfer.

Still, voucher opponents say the state money wouldn't be enough for many parents.

"It's not the answer for children in my neighborhood who can't find transportation to a private school and whose parents, even with public money, can't afford to go to a private school," said Michael Clara, an activist who lives in western Salt Lake City. He believes a voucher program would eventually chip away at resources for the public school system, which the poorest children will have no choice but to attend.

NAACP Salt Lake City Branch president Jeanetta Williams said vouchers would hurt minority students and the public school system.

"There are going to be a lot of minority families not able to afford private schools, regardless of how much they get in vouchers," Williams said.

She said she believes Layton Christian Academy, where Porter works, pushed for the creation of the pro-voucher minority group as an answer to the NAACP's stance.

Porter laughed at the idea Wednesday.

"People who really know me know I'm not a yes man," Porter said. "This is just me. It's not from Layton Christian Academy."

And Minorities for Vouchers isn't alone in its stance. The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, which runs 14 Catholic elementary and high schools, also believes vouchers could benefit minority students.

"If I'm a poor parent, a minority parent or even a middle-class parent with lots of bills and I want to send my child to a private school . . . I would at least have a chance," said Genevra Rolf, associate superintendent of Catholic schools.

Contrary to what the NAACP claims, some private schools succeed in serving diverse groups of students, Rolf said.

Porter wants to send the message that the NAACP does not speak for all minorities when it comes to vouchers. He said his group won't be raising money or making commercials but plans to campaign through churches and word of mouth.

lschencker@sltrib.com