A bill to "equalize" funding for public schools statewide cleared its first legislative hurdle on Tuesday.

More than a year in the making, the controversial measure aims to resolve disparities in school funding driven by swings in property values from one district to the next. It would take $32 million in property tax revenue from land-rich districts and give it to poorer schools using the same per-student funding formula now used to dispense income tax dollars.

Democrats oppose the bill, saying it would do more harm than good with half of the districts winners and the other half losers. The Salt Lake City School District is the biggest loser -- to the tune of $8.1 million -- followed by a projected loss of $7.8 million to the Park City district.

The biggest winners: charter schools, which could net as much as $8.8 million, and the Davis School District, with a gain of $4.9 million.

With Republican support, the bill narrowly won endorsement from the Revenue Taxation and Interim Committee.

"This is a philosophical question of fairness. Some districts are spending three times the amount as others to educate a child, ranging from a high of $15,000 per student to $5,000," said sponsoring Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan. "All children, regardless of where they live, should have access to a quality education."

Calls to school districts with the most to gain or lose were not immediately returned Tuesday.

The Utah Taxpayers Association has not taken a position on the bill. Educators are divided.

Speaking on behalf of Utah's business administrators, Janet Roberts at the Salt Lake City School District said "some school districts are going to have to cut programs if this becomes law."

The measure leaves untouched a smaller-scale equalization plan passed last year to fund the Jordan School District split. The Salt Lake district, struggling with issues of overcrowding and brimming with students learning English for the first time, lost $4 million under that plan, said Roberts. "Any equalization proposal that would take money away from one school district and give it to another, I would oppose,"

But Vik Arnold, Utah Education Association lobbyist, believes the measure will bring more stability to school funding. "Truth in taxation" laws have made it politically untenable for districts to float tax hikes, slowly eroding the proportion of school funding derived from property taxes, said Arnold. "In a year like this, where you have an economic downturn, you realize how important it is to have stable funding sources."