In a rather resounding vote yesterday, Utah voters killed the nation's first statewide school voucher program that promised tax dollars for private tuition, no matter how much a family earned or whether kids were in bad schools. For supporters of school choice, this was a major setback, moreso because the legislation that had originally been passed by one vote in the Utah Legislature was easily the broadest school choice program in the nation.

Utah is exactly the kind of state that might support school choice, but it looks like even in a friendly state, such a broad choice program is vulnerable. So, what is the solution? Tax credits for educational choice. Rather than relying on the government to divert tax dollars to private schools, tax credits enable individuals to decide how to divert their money to school choice efforts while taking a credit against their taxes. Tax credits poll much better than vouchers and should be the focus of reform efforts. Vouchers just don't seem viable outside of Milwaukee and a few other limited programs.