This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's lowest-funded school districts would be first in line for new education money under a bill that received committee approval on Thursday.
The bill, sponsored by South Jordan Republican Sen. Lincoln Filmore, would sequester a portion of new school funds and distribute it among districts that are below the state's funding average.
The bill is estimated to carve out roughly $20 million from the Education Fund for low-funded schools in its first year.
"Over time we ought to be bringing the lowest districts up, and that's what this bill does," Fillmore said.
Fillmore, who was selected by GOP delegates in December to fill a Senate vacancy, said the bill represents his central campaign promise.
While the bulk of state school funding is distributed on a per-pupil basis, the property taxes local school districts collect varies significantly throughout Utah.
Fillmore said that leads to funding disparities based on geographical and demographic factors that districts, and particularly students, have no control over.
"The value of that child's education doesn't change depending on where that child lives or what school that child attends," he said.
But Sara Jones, government relations director for the Utah Education Association, said the bill represents a significant policy shift and requires additional discussion before being made law.
The prioritization of equity funding impacts the state's ability to make statewide investments in education, she said, particularly in the per-student formulas that are used to hire and retain teachers.
She said the UEA has concerns about any bill that costs $20 million, and members of the education community have not had a chance to speak with Fillmore and other lawmakers about the proposal.
"That depth of discussion, really, has not yet occurred," Jones said.
Members of the Senate Education Committee were critical of the suggestion that educators were not allowed to offer input on the bill.
Draper Republican Sen. Howard Stephenson noted that no school district representatives took advantage of Thursday's 9 a.m. committee hearing, including those districts that would benefit from Fillmore's bill.
"This is the time for public comment, and their silence is deafening for me," he said. "I will expect it would mean that they're fine with the bill."
With a week remaining in the 2016 legislative session, the text of his bill is late, Fillmore said, but the concept of equity funding has been discussed since January.
He said the proposal would establish an annually increasing funding floor for Utah's public education system, which would do more over the long term to address the needs of schools than statewide per-student increases.
"This bill, better than any other bill this session, addresses the teacher shortage," he said.
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