From Deseret News archives:

New disputed law might restrict state's expenditures

Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2008 12:22 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
The state school board asked, but the governor said no. And now, it is the law: Either the governor, the Legislature or both will be in control of whether Utah schools participate in federal programs — such as No Child Left Behind — that cost the state more than $100,000.

"I'm told the governor is making decisions based on constitutionality, so yes, from that perspective, it was a surprise," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Patti Harrington said. "(The board) feels there an erosion of their general supervision" of public education "and if the federal part of the education in the state of Utah is governed by the Legislature or the governor or legislative management committee ... it greatly concerns them."

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed SB162, sponsored by Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem. His spokeswoman last week said other state agencies live up to a similar requirement.

The State Board of Education asked Huntsman to veto the bill because members felt it could jeopardize money for important programs from school lunch to career and technical education.

Story continues below
The board's request infuriated Dayton and two other legislators as coming out of nowhere — the board never took a position and therefore never lobbied either way on the bill during the 2008 Legislature, which ended March 5. The outcome appears to be at least a temporary setback for relationship-building between the State Board of Education and conservative legislators.

The governor signed the bill Monday, as well as other education bills, including SB48, aimed at spreading state school building aid to more school districts and also equalizing some of the property tax for Salt Lake County school districts.

The idea was to help the growing west side of Jordan District have enough money to build new schools following the district split, which took more than half the tax base but fewer than half the kids. But the $12 million combined loss to those other four school districts — Murray, Salt Lake City, Granite and the now-forming Jordan-east district — is likely to result in a bigger tax bill for people living in those areas.

The governor has not yet taken action on SB2, the controversial $2.5 billion omnibus education bill.


E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com

Recent comments

Education has been broken down for over 50 years and the result is...

ron jenson | March 20, 2008 at 3:39 p.m.

What you mean by "education reform" is really privatization and...

maybe | March 19, 2008 at 10:49 p.m.

It is time someone put a check on the State Board of Education. The...

Another view | March 19, 2008 at 9:37 p.m.

Related content
previousnext

Latest comments

RSL wins MLS Cup on penalty kicks

I can't wait for tomorrow's issue. I am saving my deseret news newspaper of...

People bottom line, DEMAND a government that fits inside the constitution.

Nobody cared about this game? Yeah, nobody really knows who some guy named...

RSL wins MLS Cup on penalty kicks

You don't have to be a soccer fan to enjoy this game and pull for the...

I'm originally from SLC but I live up here in Seattle. I am very proud of...

RSL comes back tomorrow at 2pm, according to KUTV

Unga BYU's all-time leading rusher

Hall passed John Beck for No. 2 in career yards passing with 11,039, 18 more...

I love you guys way to go RSL. Andy Williams had a great game.

we may have had ups and downs before the Federal reserve ( which has no...

OLE OLE OLE OLE REAL SALT LAKE!!! OLE OLE OLE OLE REAL SALT LAKE!!! OLE OLE...

Advertisements