Public education is atop Democrats' budget priorities

Smaller classes, more local control of education money and better care of people in need are among the budget priorities for Democrats.

Democrats announced their budget priorities Monday, only two days before Executive Appropriations Committee begins considering the final budget and on the same day that most appropriation subcommittees finalized their own priorities.

Education topped the Democrats' list with a huge 10 percent increase, or $202 million, financed by an anticipated $1 billion surplus. The money would go to local school districts rather than to specific programs, such as all-day kindergarten or a math and science initiative that were proposed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

"We are taking a different approach to how we fund public education," House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, said. "Local school districts are in the best position to determine how best to spend that money, so we want to give them more flexibility to best meet their needs."

Services for disabled people, covering increased Medicare costs, and fully funding dental and vision care for Medicaid recipients were also priorities for Democrats.

"We can find the money for these costs," House Minority Whip Pat Jones, D-Salt Lake, said. "It is just a matter of priorities."

While the Democrats differed from Huntsman on how to spend education money, for the most part their budget proposal looked very similar to the governor's proposal, which was made in December. Aligning themselves with Huntsman is almost a political necessity for the Democrats, who face a Republican super majority in both chambers, Becker said. It does not hurt, however, that the Democrats liked a lot of his proposal.

The ultimate fate of those proposals, as well as the priorities set by the various appropriations subcommittees, will be decided when the Executive Appropriations Committee, which is comprised of leadership, begins meeting Wednesday.

Among the final priority decisions made by the subcommittees:

Health and Human Services: Restoring funds lost through recent federal budget cuts was the No. 1 priority for committee members, with the request for $19.2 million in ongoing funds and $10.3 million to supplement losses to the current year's budget at the top of the list. But lawmakers expressed heartburn about including the amount on their priority list at all, noting that they have no choice but to replace the lost funds to programs such as Medicaid and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.