Lawmaker disapproves of waiver amendment

Schools with a high percent of "poorer" students will get some state financial help if HB46, which passed the House Tuesday, makes it through the Legislature.

But sponsor Rep. Lou Shurtliff, D-Ogden, said she's disappointed that House Republicans amendment her bill to spread the school waiver financial aid to all districts in the state, not just "those that are struggling the most."

Waivers are offered to poor students who cannot afford the fees charged to participate in band, athletics and other extracurricular activities. Shurtliff's bill was intended to help districts with large numbers of students to qualify for fee waivers.

But Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, amended her bill to allow any school district to receive the state aid of about $16 per student. Instead of costing $200,000, now the bill will cost the state about $400,000, the fiscal note says.

Rep. Dave Ure, R-Kamas, said: "If we have fee waivers, we have fee waivers" and each school should get the same subsidy for a fee-waived child. "We need to treat all the same. Yes, some schools are greater impacted" with picking up the cost of waived fees, but giving aid "across base allocation" is more fair.

Shurtliff said she doesn't know where the state will get the $400,000. "Some Ogden schools just hope a (fee-waived child) doesn't sign up for music class, because they don't have the money" to pay for the uncollectible fees.

"We're glad to get whatever we can get" for poorer school districts, she said. "We weren't taking that much" from all schools to help the highly-impacted, school waiver districts. "Now we're getting less" than hoped for, she said.