Measure would privatize school data

Intent language in the public school funding request would transfer the job of sorting student data to the private sector, which has caught the attention of some state education leaders.

Lawmakers are asking for $50 million in one-time and $20 million in ongoing funds to go toward bringing technology in Utah classrooms up to par. Reports have indicated Utah has the fewest classroom computers per student in the nation.

During the first week of the session lawmakers spent half a day hearing presentations from a number of different software vendors on programs and computer capabilities that could benefit Utah classrooms.

The appropriation would include $3 million to be used to implement a system that is "provided and developed by the private sector" to gather student achievement data and manage and disseminate information to school administrators.

But Patti Harrington said appropriating money specifically for the private sector is of concern since it would be putting student data outside the Utah State Office of Education's purview when the state has the ability to develop the system.

"I am just still wondering about the intent," Harrington said.

But Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper and co-chairman of the Public Education Appropriation Sub-committee, said the state just wasn't getting the job done.

"The state office has proven they are incapable of doing that — they have attempted to provide (a system) and have not," Stephenson said. "We know those tools are available in the private sector ... and we want to ensure that we get the best possible tool for making data available for empowering the public, parents and educators to slice and dice data to ensure accountability."

However, Harrington said the Legislature has never given USOE money to create a system and though the state's current management system isn't "sliceable or diceable," some individual districts have been able to create very efficient systems.

"I certainly don't have an issue with outside vendor and private sector but to just turn it over to them there would be no way to hold them accountable," Harrington said.

Rick Gaisford, education technology specialist for the State Office of Education, said while earmarking money specifically to go to private sector companies raises questions, enlisting private vendors could be a good idea.

The private sector tends to have additional revenue streams they can use to develop the data management software.

Nonetheless Gaisford said if USOE was given the task and appropriate funding they could develop the system.

"We've been going down that road anyway," he said.

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E-mail: terickson@desnews.com