Utah’s many conservative legislators like nothing better than to find or create an excuse to take money from the state’s already underfunded public schools. But shifting eduction money from school districts in which high school students are taking technical training at Utah College of Applied Technology branches is simply nonsense.
The Legislature last year voted to cut per-pupil funding allocated to school districts and charter schools for students who take UCAT classes during the school day, resulting in a hefty $5.4 million loss to those charters and secondary schools. Many of those most affected when the law goes into effect next year are small rural districts that already face challenges.
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To right that wrong, lawmakers should pass one of two proposals, or a hybrid of the two, considered by the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee. They focus on creating a partnership fund to help UCAT, school districts and charter schools work together to let qualifying students get technical training while still in secondary school without causing already struggling districts even more financial hardship.
The two proposals come from men who know what they’re talking about: State School Superintendent Larry Shumway and UCAT President Robert Brems. Shumway’s plan would establish a partnership fund of about $10 million that divides per-pupil funds on a 70-30 split, with UCAT getting the larger share. Brems proposes a $4.7 million shared fund that would provide school districts and UCAT each $1.55 per hour for every student who leaves public school for UCAT classes. That would reimburse the districts about half the amount they would lose under last year’s bill.
It’s interesting that each administrator clearly sees the need for the other to be compensated, so that neither is a loser. Conservative legislators who plainly have no love for public schools should also realize the value of providing this opportunity to students without burdening either entity.
UCAT is Utah’s system of technical schools, with eight campuses covering most regions of the Beehive State. They help students acquire skills that are in demand by many types of employers. UCAT is a vital part of a plan supported by businesses, education leaders and Gov. Gary Herbert to increase to two-thirds by 2020 the percentage of Utahns with college degrees and certificates.
It’s the Legislature’s job to adequately fund public schools and programs that help them coordinate with public colleges, universities and UCAT.
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