This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah legislators offer little comfort to the school districts that will receive less money from the state this year over last: Something is better than nothing.
Nothing, or less than nothing in the way of increased funding for public education, was what Utah's already underfunded schools received in fiscal years 2011 and 2010. Enrollment increased by about 20,000 students over those two years, but the districts received no money to educate those additional students. And even Gov. Gary Herbert admits that funding will never increase enough to make up for those sub-zero years, even though the enrollment boom is expected to continue for another decade.
So this year, when the Legislature allocated $50 million more for the state's public schools, it seemed as though things were looking up — until education officials had a chance to look closely at how the money will be distributed. They didn't have much time to do that during the session, since the education budget bill, HB2, was made public just three days before the session ended and passed on the very last day.
So how can districts such as Granite and Jordan, two of the state's largest, along with Canyons, Murray and Park City, receive less money than last year, while other districts get more? Education funding is a bit complicated. There is the basic budget, which is allocated on a per-pupil basis, so larger districts get more money to divide among larger student bodies.
But the Legislature can also distribute taxpayers' money to specific programs, and some districts get more of that than others. Money was shifted to those programs from funds that normally supplement the basic Weighted Pupil Unit, which districts use to pay for mandated expenses like employee Social Security and retirement. The per-pupil funding appears to have increased, but in reality, because of the shift, some districts have less to spend on students.
Of the $50 million added to the education pot, some $17 million did not make it into the basic budget. Again, enrollment growth will not be fully funded.
For example, Granite School District, Utah's largest, will see its allocation drop by about $1.6 million, and Canyons will get about $3.5 million less. Jordan district's budget will shrink by about $2.1 million.
At the same time, the 2011 Legislature passed — twice, including a veto override — a law earmarking 30 percent of increases in sales tax revenue each year for transportation. If Utahns had any doubt, this Legislature sent the clear message that education is not its top priority.