This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
With Constitutional Amendment B, voters are being asked to decide whether to modernize the Permanent State School Fund or keep it under the outdated restrictions put in place back in the 1890s when the fund was created. The Permanent State School Fund is a $2 billion endowment for Utah's public school system that most people do not even realize exists.
This fund spins off tens of millions of tax free dollars for Utah's public schools each year. Every single school gets a pro rata portion of the annual distribution. The money is targeted at the most pressing academic needs of each school, as determined by the school's community council. This is essentially the only money schools have to spend in the way they see fit. The Permanent State School Fund is too precious and important to leave to the strictures of the past. A vote for Constitutional Amendment B is a vote to ensure our public school endowment, and its annual distribution, continues to grow for the benefit of Utah's schoolchildren, now and in the future.
Aaron C. Garrett
Salt Lake City