The School Building Legislative Task Force declined to endorse a measure sponsored by its chairman, Republican Rep. Jim Ferrin of Orem, partly because of concerns about usurping local school boards' control over buildings predominantly funded by local property tax dollars.

The panel unanimously passed a second proposal, one that would allow charter schools to have the same exemptions from municipal building requirements that traditional public schools enjoy.

Ferrin said he would rework his school construction proposal before bringing it back.

"I continue to believe we as a state ought to pursue a paradigm shift in construction of school buildings to build less expensive and less elaborate buildings," he said.

Ferrin wanted to require school districts to build schools for about half the price they currently spend in order to collect aid from the state's $27 million Capital Outlay Foundation and Enrollment Growth programs.

Districts qualify for money under the growth program if their enrollments are increasing dramatically; they qualify for the foundation program if they have low assessed property values per student.

During the 2003-04 school year, 12 districts split $2.9 million under the growth program and 17 districts split $24.4 million under the foundation program.

Ferrin's proposal also would have restricted acreage for new schools - to about 6 acres for 600 students.

An ad hoc committee of school officials, architects and school district patrons urged the task force to turn down the bill, arguing that it "adversely affects" districts with limited assessed valuation and impedes local school boards.

"You're placing an automatic limit on the programmatic ability of a local school board," said architect Neal Stowe, who led the committee.

The committee also opposed the notion of adopting uniform, state-approved school designs - much like LDS Church buildings - an idea some legislators floated as a way to save money.

"One size does not always fit all," Stowe said. "Some schools have substantial community programs, some have few."

The committee wants to convene a two-day symposium to come up with efficient ways to accommodate the estimated 144,000 additional schoolchild- ren expected to flood the public schools during the next 10 years.

rlynn@sltrib.com