House passes education budget with amendments

With amendments left intact, the public education budget bill for fiscal year 2010 passed the House on Thursday morning with a 47-27 vote.

Senate amendments added to HB2 on Wednesday gave power back to charter schools.

The amendments also ensure teachers at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind receive pay raises at a cost of $580,000.

The bill further adds $300,000 back into the education budget for a teacher performance pay pilot program.

The earlier version of HB2, approved in the House, prohibited the expansion of charter school capacity for the 2010-2011 school year. It also gave school districts more leeway in helping fund charter school students in their districts.

— Amy K. Stewart