Resolute pledge to teachers

Utah's 26,000 public school teachers will get a $2,500 gross pay raise and a one-time $1,000 bonus next school year, GOP legislative leaders promised Wednesday — even if the 2008 Legislature has to find another $20 million to do it.

A special legislative audit released Wednesday shows that "real misunderstandings," as House Assistant Majority Leader Brad Dee put it, led the Republican-dominated Legislature to miss the ultimate cost of the raises by a fourth when they allocated new monies.

Instead of the $68 million set aside for the $2,500 raises, the cost will be between $75 million to $88 million. Counts of the exact number of teachers — and how to define a "teacher" — result in the large range of money needed to make the raise program's whole amount.

If lawmakers do nothing, a teacher's pay raise will be $1,938, and the bonus, $931, the audit states.

But based on what legislative leaders said Wednesday, lawmakers likely will do something to fix the shortfall.

House Majority Whip Gordon Snow, R-Roosevelt, said in open GOP caucus that Republican legislative leaders "have made that commitment" to fully fund the teacher pay raises.

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, agreed. While GOP senators didn't talk about the audit in their caucus, he said, "A commitment was made and the intent is to live up to the commitment."

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. also "is working to make certain all teachers receive what they have been promised," spokesman Mike Mower said.

Yet how lawmakers will fix the problem is up in the air. Mower was certain, however, that a special session would not be needed.

The Office of the Legislative Auditor General found that an additional $7.2 million and $19.9 million will be needed to fund fully the pay raise and bonus intended in HB382. Another $2.4 million would be needed for the $1,000 bonus.

"Both errors in calculations supporting HB382 and misunderstandings between all parties involved have prevented the bill from accomplishing its intended results," the audit states.

A few examples: The money contained in the bill was tallied using a $2,000 raise, instead of a $2,500 raise, the audit states. Also, guidance counselors, audiologists, psychologists and school social workers were added to the bill but never included in the calculation. The State Office of Education undercounted the number of eligible teachers by 2,200.