SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Board of Education on Sept. 5 approved prioritizing one‑time carryforward funds: $500,000 to restore school suicide-prevention funding and $750,000 to support LEA financial systems.

Board members said the state originally intended to fund $1,000 per school for suicide prevention but the 2024 legislative appropriation covered only half that amount. The board voted to use agency carryforward balances to “backfill” the remainder so schools would receive the full $1,000 per school this year.

Deputy Superintendent Scott Jones told the board the funds would be taken from student-support section carryforward balances and that the board expects to seek legislative support in a future session to make funding permanent. Jones said the carryforward allocation is one-time funding and that the legislature may be asked later to authorize ongoing appropriations. “Short answer is yes,” Jones said when members asked if the additional funds would be usable this year.

The board’s finance committee had reviewed the request and recommended the allocations to the full board. Members then voted; the motion passed with a strong majority and two members recorded as dissenting or abstaining during the floor vote.

Board members stressed that the $500,000 is intended to bring each school’s suicide-prevention allocation up to $1,000 this year and that the $750,000 for LEA financial systems will be used to help districts modernize and improve their data and accounting platforms. The board also discussed that the prioritization is temporary and staff will pursue legislative remedies to continue the suicide-prevention funding in future years.