After months of study, roiling controversy and emotional debate, the Douglas County school board Tuesday night unanimously approved a groundbreaking plan to help pay tuition for hundreds of students to attend private schools.

The pilot program, which will be reviewed each year, would make up to 500 students eligible to receive $4,575 to attend a private school in the 2011-12 school year.

“This is an important night for Douglas County,” said board president John Carson. “This is the finest school district in the state of Colorado, and I believe the action we take tonight will make it even better.”

The district estimates it would save about $3 million by having 500 fewer students. The district would pay about $2.29 million in voucher scholarships, but when CSAP and other expenses are deducted, the district might actually net $402,500.

After some residents complained that all but one of the 14 eligible private schools within the county are religion-based, the district revised its proposal, expanding the boundaries to include a more diverse group of private schools.

The district also added a provision Tuesday to allow students to opt out of religious instruction at religion-based schools.

Current private-school students who enroll in public school would not be eligible for the voucher money until one year later.

If more than 500 students apply, a lottery will determine who gets the vouchers.

Debate over the voucher idea, which first surfaced late last fall after the current board was voted into office, has consumed the district for months. It has touched off an emotional battle between those who view the proposal as a step toward giving parents a real choice in education and those who see it as a body blow to a district that by most measures performs well.

Opponents of the program have argued that Douglas County schools are among the highest-achieving in the state.

“Choice already exists. Competition is already there,” said parent Denise Gonzales.

“But I don’t expect anybody’s public dollars to pay for my child to go to private school.”

They also contend that the voucher amount won’t begin to cover tuition at many of the eligible private schools, keeping those schools will out of reach for many middle-income families.

A Denver Post survey of private-school tuition in the Douglas County area found some as low as $4,695 a year and others as high as $21,000 a year.

But those favoring the proposal say competition will improve all schools.

Some, like parent Diana Oakley, said they supported the plan for personal reasons.

Oakley said the plan was her best hope for the smaller class sizes and increased resources her special-needs child isn’t getting now in the financially challenged district.

After hearing once more from passionate parents and taxpayers on both sides of the issue, board members each spoke about the reasoning behind their vote.

Cliff Stahl said he had been on the fence about the plan. He was convinced to vote for it, he said, because he believes it will benefit the district financially and because the program will be reviewed each year.

“This is the start of a journey that will provide answers to many questions” about the future of education in the district, he said.

Ultimately for most board members, the issue boiled down to helping parents decide what is best for their child.

“Families deciding what’s best for them. It’s the best choice,” said board member Doug Benevento. “It’s the only choice.”

Karen Auge: 303-954-1733 or kauge@denverpost.com