Agency manages trust lands to benefit schools

The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration was created to manage land that the federal government gave to Utah at statehood.

SITLA makes money through land sales, mineral and oil leases and development of lands. That money is invested by the state treasurer.

The Utah State Office of Education's Learning and Nurturing Development Trust distributes interest and dividends to school districts, which distribute funds to schools. Schools get the majority of SITLA funds, but a handful of other agencies such as the state's reservoirs and teacher colleges get money, too.

Surface acreage: 3.4 million

Subsurface acreage: 4.4 million

FY 2006 revenues: $162 million

FY 2006 school revenues: $143 million

FY 2006 assets: $807 million

FY 2006 school assets: $705 million

Interest and dividends distributed to schools last school year: $18 million