The Utah State Board of Education voted 12-2 to direct the superintendent to amend the current UPAK, audit and agency critical FTE funding requests so the total requested FTEs equals 17, with final allocation left to the superintendent and board leadership.

The measure followed extended discussion about the workload generated by the agency hotline and complaints referred to UPAK and other USBE offices. Chief Audit Executive Debbie Davis told the board that, based on 2024 hotline data, "in order to investigate credible hotline complaints that came in, it would require 35 FTEs." Davis said her calculation included referrals that require formal investigation and that the agency refers many concerns to local education agencies, the Department of Child and Family Services and other sections of USBE. She also reported an overall referral rate of 86 percent over the last five years.

Board members and staff described the agency as overwhelmed. Staff said some referrals now may take up to two and a half years to reach resolution. Superintendent Hart told members that creating a compliance function or reallocating staff requires organizational planning and a strategic direction from the board. Hart said the agency will first try to use existing resources and then return with a proposal that reflects the board’s priorities.

After several amendments and discussion about whether the requested FTEs should be earmarked specifically for UPAK or shared with audit and agency compliance, the final motion instructed the superintendent and board leadership to determine how to array the 17 total FTEs among UPAK, audit and agency priorities. The motion passed 12 to 2; members Lear and Riel were recorded as voting no. Staff said the board’s base requests already include existing figures in the board packet and that the new direction will augment those base levels and ask the superintendent to determine distribution and precise dollar figures for the October submission to the governor.