With a standing-room-only crowd looking on, the House Education Committee voted 7-6 in favor of the Orem Republican's proposal, which would give tax credits to parents who transfer their children from public to private schools. The tax credits would fall along a sliding scale - ranging from $3,750 for the lowest-income families to $500 for moderately high-income families, while leaving the well-to-do out of the loop.

Opponents worry about the potential implications - the cost to the state and a forgotten obligation to improve public schools. But Ferrin and his supporters say families who cannot afford alternatives deserve them and that the proposal would save money.

"I've had 10-plus years teaching in Title I schools, and while I think teachers are a wonderful group of people and very dedicated to their profession, we cannot meet every need of every child," said Liz Nafus, a first-grade teacher at Truman Elementary in West Valley City, who sat front-center wearing her "Parents for Choice" pin.

A flurry of numbers and predictions were batted around throughout the meeting. Ferrin said the legislative fiscal analyst predicts that in 13 years, Utah's public school enrollment will grow by 200,000, and will cost the state an additional $8.5 billion.

"If we can get some of those students to go somewhere else, then we save some money," he said.

The analyst predicted 3,734 students would be eligible for credits next year. Ferrin said that if all those students switched to private schools, $11 million would be freed up. And after paying out tax credits, Utah would stand to save about $4.9 million. But the State Office of Education has predicted a $900,000 loss in 2006, and a $11.7 million hit in 2007.

Beside Ferrin sat Rep. Steve Marscaro, R-West Jordan, who called upon committee members to at least give the bill a try.

"If it works, we ought to try it," he said. "And there's no way we'll know unless we test it."

But it was this kind of reasoning that worried some in the room. Salt Lake City schools Superintendent McKell Withers questioned the depth of analysis: "We have people considering really large changes, and they don't have the best data to do that from."

Salt Lake City school board member, John deJong added that for-profit, private schools aren't subject to the same kind of accountability.

"We don't know what we're getting - fiscally or educationally. We could have another nursing school that goes belly up," referring to the scandal surrounding the private, and now-defunct, Academy of Nursing.

However, the bill specifically says the private schools will be required to "annually assess the achievement of each qualifying student and provide information to parents on teacher credentials and school accreditation."

Committee members peppered Ferrin with questions, as attendees clamored to have their voices heard. Public comment was limited to 10 people, who were allotted one minute each. Pat Rusk, Utah Education Association president, spoke against the bill on behalf of principals, teachers, bus drivers and school aides: "We've been portrayed as against parents and against children. We are not the enemy."

Beatriz Arteaga, of Taylorsville, said that thanks to a partial scholarship and credit card debt, she was able to turn her daughter's life around. She said her daughter's grade point average rose - three years after transferring to a private school - from a 1.1 to a 3.86.

While all of the arguments for the bill were compelling to Rep. LaVar Christensen, R-Draper, he said he viewed the debate as "the battle of the crystal balls." To alleviate his concerns about the unknowns, he offered up his own amendment - with changed language to reflect constitutional obligations, an increased cushion (from $1.5 million to $10 million) from the general fund to protect against financial losses, and a testing period of three years to include a comprehensive audit - only to be shot down.

Ferrin's attempt last year to institute tax credits also cleared the committee, only to die in the House.

Rusk, who wasn't surprised by Friday's outcome, said the "real fight" is in the next round. "And that decision is still up in the air."