Where should state spend education money?

Give more money to schools, give education money to parents — Thursday's Utah Foundation forum on improving school funding brought some diverse views.

Perhaps some of those could form into recommendations to the Legislature.

"We wanted to make sure this issue is paid attention to ... and some ideas had an important public forum," said Steve Kroes, Utah Foundation executive director.

Foundation trustees could decide to make recommendations to the Legislature, but that is yet undetermined. Still, Kroes says public school funding will remain on the foundation's radar.

Earlier this year, the foundation released the study, "Paradox Lost," about Utah's efforts to pay for schools.

Utah spends the least per student in the country, and has the nation's biggest classes. While past studies showed the state's multitude of children — Utah has the nation's highest birthrate — made boosting school funding tough. Utah in 1995 was fifth in the country in terms of funding effort, according to the foundation's "Paradox Lost" report.

But by 2004, Utah's effort had waned to 27th in the country for public education revenues per $1,000 of personal income, and 36th for public school spending per $1,000 of personal income, the report states.

Following the report, the foundation asked groups involved in education policy to weigh in on school funding policies. The State Board of Education, Utah School Boards Association and Utah Association of School Business Officers, Utah Education Association, Utah Taxpayers Association, Parents for Choice in Education, the State Charter School Board and the Utah System of Higher Education presented their opinions (papers can be found at www.utahfoundation.org/forum2006/papers.html) at the forum, "Are Utah Schools Adequately Funded?"

Some said money isn't the solution — more school choice is.

The Utah Taxpayers Association reported national per-student spending has risen 65 percent since 1980, but with little difference in 12th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress. Vice president Mike Jerman therefore supports offering more educational choices to foster competition, improve schools and open a market for meeting students' needs.