The Utah State Board of Education finance committee approved first reading of R277‑490, the Beverly Taylor Sorensen (BTS) Elementary Arts Learning Program rule, and voted to forward the draft to the full board for second and final reading. The motion to approve came from member Brent Strait and the committee recorded unanimous approval.

The adopted draft shifts the order of allocations so educator salary and benefit support is prioritized before supplies and materials and caps that first salary allocation at the lesser of the legislatively set uniform amount or 75 percent of reported educator salary and benefits. Staff also proposed moving the LEA notification deadline for award amounts from June 1 to May 1 to help local districts with hiring timelines.

“[The draft language] represents what we believe is a good sustainable, viable funding model for BTS going forward,” said Lisa Clough of Artworks for Kids during the meeting’s public comment portion. BTS coordinator and finance lead Laurie Vayefsky told the committee the 75 percent cap was intended to “create some buy in for all LEAs” and to help the program reach more schools; she noted a waiting list had grown to 43 LEAs.

School finance director Sam Urie outlined how the proposed “base plus” model changes local match requirements: under the new allocation every participating LEA would provide some match (down to roughly 12 percent at the low end), while the highest matches would fall from about 48 percent to roughly 26 percent. Urie also warned staff had received feedback from the legislative fiscal analyst that some legislators may view the change as a move away from a strictly uniform amount.

Director Ben Rasmussen and deputy superintendent Scott Jones told the committee staff and legislators had discussed the proposal and that the 75 percent cap was intended to both create local buy‑in and stretch program dollars to serve more schools, including rural and underserved areas. The committee discussed the possibility of legislative concerns about departing from a “uniform amount” and asked staff to coordinate further with legislative partners before final board action.

The motion before the committee approved R277‑490 on first reading and forwarded it to the full board for second and final reading.

The committee discussion included specific implementation clarifications: remaining funds after initial allocations will be redistributed proportionally based on LEA outstanding needs, and staff committed to monitor year‑one outcomes and adjust the timeline or formula if LEAs report hiring or planning problems.

The committee advanced the rule to the full board; staff said they will continue coordination with legislative staff and LEAs and will return with any recommended adjustments prior to final board action.