Senate rejects bill to up principals’ budget power

By lisa schencker

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Mar 11 2013 08:32 pm • Last Updated Mar 18 2013 11:34 am

A bill to change the way schools are funded failed in the Senate Monday night after lawmakers took the teeth out of it.

The Senate voted 12-16 on SB110, which originally would have forced school districts to send at least 85 percent of state dollars received directly to schools. That money would then have had to be distributed based on student needs, and local principals would have been charged with preparing their own school budgets for district approval.

Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, however, changed the bill Monday night, with support from bill sponsor Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, to merely allow districts to make such changes rather than force them.

Osmond said the changes would have empowered local school boards, but others said the new version made the bill unnecessary, as districts can already do those things.

Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, said the Senate was "wasting our time" considering the bill. SB110 had faced large opposition from many in the education community before hitting the floor Monday night.

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