Education leaders want spending leeway

While state education leaders are grateful for past increases in school funding, as allocated by the Legislature, they would like to have more freedom in spending that money.

To show the Legislature the importance of local control, the State Board of Education issued a resolution during a regular meeting Friday on education funding. It addresses the weighted pupil unit and Minimum School Program.

WPU is a method used to dole out state funding to school districts based on enrollment — a process the board deems to be extremely equitable.

The Minimum School Program is the major funding source for school districts to accomplish basic education of students.

School districts have more freedom in spending WPU whereas the Legislature controls how other areas in the Minimum School Program are spent.

"There are pet projects that have come on. And that money is restricted on how it's used," said board vice chairman Mark Cluff.

"The goal is to allow the school districts the flexibility to use the money where they need to use it," Cluff said.

The resolution passed 13 to 1.

Board member Tom Gregory, who voted "no," said he felt the action was too strong. "The Legislature is granted budgeting authority," Gregory told the Deseret News.

Gregory said he would have preferred "a soft request" and was worried some legislators will be angered by the board's directive.

Board members point out that during the past few years, the WPU pot has grown somewhat while the Minimum School Program has increased substantially.

WPU increased from $2,280 per pupil in fiscal year 2006 to $2,577 in fiscal year 2008 — an increase of 13 percent.

Meanwhile, the Minimum School Program increased by 35.3 percent over the past four years, from $2.3 billion to $3.1 billion.

Further, board members take issue with some of the categories in the Minimum School Program. That is because the items may give money to just one district or a region or to a special-interest program.

The board's resolution states "programs that are not funded through the WPU may tend to distribute money in ways that may not fulfill the historical goal of equity of public education resources for all Utah students, regardless of where individual students live within the state."