A bill aimed at spreading school funding more equally throughout the state failed on the House floor Monday.

Lawmakers voted against HB66 by 42-33 after many said they either didn't understand the bill or thought it was unfair to districts that might lose rather than gain money in the long run. The version of the bill that failed would have frozen a basic tax rate for several years to raise additional funding as property values rose. That additional funding would go to the state for redistribution among districts and charter schools.

The money would first have gone toward charter school expenses now paid by school districts and the state and then to per pupil spending across the state.

Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, who sponsored the latest version of the bill, said it would have likely taken eight or nine years to raise enough money to increase the amount of money spent per student.

Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan, who sponsored the original bill, said a new system is needed because the current one leads to inequities in education funding and property tax burdens on homeowners across the state.

The plan, however, would have created winners and losers among districts, with some districts eventually gaining money and others losing it -- an idea many lawmakers were uncomfortable with, especially given expected budget cuts this year.

Other lawmakers said they didn't understand the bill, which went through nine different versions, and asked the issue be studied over the interim session.