Utah Legislature: Public education gets funding for growth

SALT LAKE CITY — Determined lawmakers left a mark on education laws this year and also bolstered the state's education budget considerably, funneling tens of millions of dollars to districts with surging populations.

An influx of about 14,700 new students expected to enter the system next school year was the biggest concern for lawmakers and educators alike since schools haven't received funding for growth the last two years.

Lawmakers eventually decided to increase the education budget by 2.2 percent to fund growth.

"The budget is wonderful," said Patti Harrington with the Utah School Boards Association. "We are so happy about the budget and so appreciative of the Legislature for funding growth with new money."

Lawmakers were able to restore all the cuts made earlier in the session and then some.

"I'm very pleased," said Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan. "I thought it was very important this year that we did additional funding for public education."

What's more, a number of programs with uncertain futures were ultimately funded.

An optional extended-day kindergarten program, a favorite of the governor, received $7.5 million in funding. And a program aimed at having all third-grade students reading at or above grade level was funded by the Legislature with $15 million.

The Legislature also decided to increase the number of dollars allocated per student from $2,577 last year to $2,816. That's not necessarily a result of new funding, however, since dollars previously allocated to districts in other ways were folded into the per-pupil amount in order to increase it.

"I don't know that anybody knows the effects of that," said Kory Holdaway with the Utah Education Association. "But you're going to have some winners and losers."

A controversial law that will give every school in the state a "grade" based on student performance passed this year. Sen. Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, said it's impossible to improve schools in the state without knowing how they're doing first.

"We have to focus on the results, and the results are in student performance," he said.

Niederhauser's bill determines if a school is an A, B, C, D or F school based on test scores, improvement from one year to the next, and graduation rates for high school students.

Some lawmakers claim the law will "dispirit" teachers who inherit students with complex challenges. Grades will be assigned for the 2011-2012 school year.