The priority list approved by the House would give public education a 2.5 increase in the weighted pupil unit (WPU), along with a $1,700 teacher salary increase, although Bramble said that could be affected by other "key pieces on education." At the beginning of the session, education spending increases were running as high as the 7 percent that Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. proposed in his budget.

UEA leaders said they knew it could be a budgetary stretch to get it all but had hoped to fare as well as last year, when legislators gave a 4 percent WPU hike and teachers received a $2,500 raise and a $1,000 bonus

But now with only a 2.5 percent WPU increase, some education leaders think school districts could struggle to simply pay employees and cover new insurance premiums.

"It's not that the $1,700 isn't good, but I think districts will really struggle and if they can't pay steps and lanes, teachers may actually end up with less," Kuziak said.

UEA leaders said they are also a bit miffed that lawmakers want to fund new programs, like differentiated pay and the extended year programs, when districts are going to be struggling to make ends meet.

An $8.9 million initiative to nudge districts towards using school buildings in the summer and increasing pay for math and science teachers was included on the priority list. A measure to set aside $5 million for differentiated pay, which would give an extra $5,000 to teachers in the critical shortage areas of math, science and technology, was also on the list of priorities.

As for transportation, UDOT executive director John Njord said he was "stunned" that transportation received no new dollars with the priority list. The governor had proposed $70 million in one-time money to fix bridges, $120 million to fix congested "choke point" roads, and $30 million to preserve land for future road routes.

"That was a little stunning," Njord said after seeing the priority lists during the House Republic caucus. "I really don't know what it means."

During the House caucus, Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, asked his colleagues to consider funding for roads. He was received with laughter.

"This will negatively impact people as congestion increases," Harper said. "Some of our road and other issues...will not be funded this year."

He attributed the lack of attention to transportation to the nation's slowing economy. In addition, he said a push by lawmakers this session to fund reconstruction of I-15 in Utah County might have lessened a desire to fund other projects. On Tuesday, a bill was revised in on the Senate floor to allow Utah County to raise its sales taxes to help fund the road.

Bramble said senators were still working on other ways to fund roads, saying it was essential to relieving gridlock and congestion.

Advocates for the low-income were also hoping their issues would be looked at during final negotiations.