Classroom funding bill fails in Senate

A bill that requires school districts to spend 65 percent of their general fund on instruction failed to pass the Senate on Monday.

Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Eagle Mountain, sponsor of SB241, said the state should "want to keep as much money as possible going to the classroom."

Madsen says he has sat on his bill for years, thinking there wasn't much of a reason for it since the state was spending so much on education. But now there are budget cuts to deal with. "This is an idea whose time has come," he said.

Some senators, however, pointed out not all school districts budget alike. For example, some rural districts spend more on transportation.

"This is not the way to go," said Sen. Pat Jones, D-Holladay.

Madsen said, "If you can't support this bill, in the future, any claims that academics come first would ring hollow."

The legislation failed 12 to 17.

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