Utah Legislature: House leaders promise to restore $21 million to public education

SALT LAKE CITY — GOP House leaders say $21 million will be restored to the state's public education budget before the 2010 Legislature adjourns Thursday.

But the Republican majority in the Senate on Monday so far has been willing to add back only $5 million, for teacher supplies, despite pressure from Gov. Gary Herbert.

"There's a line that we've drawn," Senate Budget Chairman Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, said Monday after the Senate GOP discussed restoring more of the cut in a closed-door caucus. "We're not just willy-nilly cutting."

Herbert, a Republican, is adamant that public education not be cut beyond what he recommended in his budget. Already, public schools will not get money to pay for the estimated 11,000 new students coming into the system next fall.

Hillyard said there just isn't any ongoing source of revenue available to restore the entire cut.

"It would be very irresponsible," he said, to use so-called "one-time" funds to fill the budget gap.

The list of education cuts, Hillyard said, include postponing $8 million in building projects, reducing busing, cutting a program aimed at recruiting science teachers and trimming 2 percent from a variety of other public educations programs.

Hillyard said he doesn't believe the governor wants a standoff.

"The votes in our body are pretty clear," he said. "I would be really surprised if the governor would veto a bill over $16 million."

Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, said there may be more money added back to the public education budget — just not all that the governor wants. "I won't go so far as to say I've drawn a line," he said.

Herbert's spokeswoman, Angie Welling, said only that the budget negotiations with lawmakers are ongoing.

"The governor remains committed to his No. 1 budget priority, which is protecting education funding," Welling said.

Support for the less than 1 percent cut in public education funding, approved by GOP lawmakers last week, may be dwindling in the House.

"I don't think we'll do that," House Minority Leader Kevin Garn, R-Layton, said after an open House GOP caucus Monday.

Every session ends with some last-minute arguing over several million dollars being taken away or put into the next fiscal year's budget — which starts on July 1.

For example, the House Republican caucus decided $527,000 will be added to college tuition payments for Utah National Guard soldiers.

And already decided is raising the state cigarette tax by $1 per pack. Herbert has said he won't back any tax increases this year.

But if Herbert vetoes the tobacco tax hike, the budget will be out of balance by the $44 million it would raise. And by law, Utah must adopt a balanced budget — even if revenues fall below or exceed spending.