Utah educators feeling tense vibe from lawmakers

SALT LAKE CITY — Some legislators and educators have commented that there's a different feeling on Capitol Hill this session.

"I sense a difference this year, and I don't know what it stems from," Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, told the State Board of Education on Thursday. "I think it might be a majority of the Legislature has come through a brutal election."

Stephenson acknowledged that state Superintendent Larry Shumway had already been "bludgeoned" by legislators just four days into the 2011 session.

Notwithstanding, Stephenson said, in his estimation the relationship between the Legislature and the state office has never been better.

A meeting of the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee got tense Thursday when legislators weren't satisfied with recommendations from the State Board of Education on where to cut costs.

"I believe that if we don't get more specific recommendations, then they have absolutely no right to complain when the decisions are made," said Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Lehi. "If you choose not to do that, then after the fact, I'll thank you to shut up about it."

The committee is tasked with recommending 7 percent to 10 percent cuts to submit to the Executive Appropriations Committee. Called a "budget exercise," all appropriations subcommittees make hypothetical, non-binding recommendations. It's determined later in the session what cuts will actually be made.

At the outset of the discussion, former state legislator and current Board of Education member David Thomas recommended the funds be taken from what's called the Flexible Allocation, a budget item worth more than $200 million that is distributed to districts across the state on a per-student basis. How it's spent is up to the districts, as it isn't attached to specific programs like other funding.

"I think the direction that we would take is taking it from the flexible allocation," Thomas said at the outset of the meeting.

After legislators on the committee discussed a variety of potential cuts, freshman legislators and new-to-the-committee members looked to the state board for more direction.

"I've been pretty frustrated so far going through this," said Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan. "What I'm really looking for is something very concrete. … We really need to be able to count on you."

Rep. Francis Gibson, R-Mapleton, reiterated that sentiment, saying he wanted the help of the experts at the state office.