State board seeking 'math initiative funds'

CEDAR CITY — The Utah State Board of Education wants $16 million from an expected jump in state revenue to help students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades who are not performing at a "high" level of proficiency in math.

"I think it's in our best interest to lobby hard for it," board member John Pingree said in a board meeting Wednesday of the anticipated increase in state funds.

The governor's office this week offered budget guidelines for state agencies that said revenue growth for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 looks "promising," but that new revenue for ongoing budget increases is "limited."

About $4.3 million of the requested math initiative funds would go toward professional development to increase teachers' skills, abilities and understanding of math. The goal is to "move students forward in the critical transition from concrete to abstract thinking" in mathematics.

The board's early budget talks centered on an initiative that some members say is gaining momentum among legislators.

But a request to fund more math training for teachers failed during the 2005 Legislature. Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. even recommended $14 million to fund math improvement.

On the board's current list of ongoing requests for fiscal year 2007, the math initiative is listed third after enrollment growth and weighted pupil unit (WPU is the basic funding unit for public education).

After math is a request for $2.5 million to support a K-3 reading program. Without those funds, state education officials say schools will have to fire school literacy coaches and cut full-day kindergarten programs and professional development among teachers.

In total, the Utah State Office of Education has already identified more than $40 million in recommended requests for ongoing funds in FY 2007, which doesn't include the millions needed for enrollment growth and a WPU increase. The USOE estimates enrollment growth in the coming year to be between 7,300 and 12,200 new students.

A list of $23 million in "other requests," like $3.3 million for more guidance counselors, is not among the USOE's list of recommended ongoing requests.

By September state agencies are expected to forward budget requests to the governor's office of planning and budget. Those agencies are being told requests for budget increases to fund new programs should not exceed 2 percent of an agency's share of ongoing state funds. That would put a cap on the board's requests, including the share of new revenue needed for math and reading, at just under $40 million, according to USOE officials.

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