Sixty-five is not a magic number when it comes to classroom funding, senators said Monday.

Senators voted 17-12 against a bill Monday that would have required school districts to spend at least 65 percent of their general fund money on instruction.

Bill sponsor Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain, said the requirement, which would not be imposed on small school districts, could only help children. Most Utah school districts already spend at least that much on instruction, but Madsen said he wanted to put a law in place to ensure they continue to do so even in tough budget times.

"If you can't support this bill, then in the future, any claims that academics would come first ring hollow," Madsen told senators.

Others, however, opposed SB241 with some saying all school districts are different and need different allowances. For example, the Ogden City School District, doesn't meet the requirement but serves a large number of low-income families.

Also, the term "instruction" doesn't include expenses such as guidance counselors, speech therapists and school nurses, among other things. Sen. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, said it's important to look at school spending as a whole.

"I appreciate the intent," Jones said. "This is just not the way to go about it."