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Legislative analysts propose five‑year accountable budget review for higher education
Summary
The Legislative Fiscal Analyst presented a five-year plan for the subcommittee's accountable budget reviews, recommending a year-by-year focus (instruction; student services; institutional support; other missions; board/commissioner) and use of NACUBO categories to standardize oversight.
Joseph, the Legislative Fiscal Analyst, presented the subcommittee with a recommended five-year plan for the accountable budget review required by joint rule and asked members to review it before a formal vote during budget prioritization next week.
"20% is not really defined as saying dollar amount or institutions or whatever," Joseph said, explaining that the joint rule requires the subcommittee to review roughly 20% of the budget each year over a five-year cycle and that the interpretation is flexible.
Joseph recommended using NACUBO (the National Association of College and University Business Officers) expenditure categories as a consistent way to divide reviews. The plan proposes: year 1 — instruction (teaching); year 2 — student-related support (academic support, scholarships and student services); year 3 — institutional support (president's office, finance, operations and maintenance); year 4 — other missions (research, public service, museums, festivals); and year 5 — the board and commissioner's office and system programs.
Why it matters: the accountable budget process aims to give legislators a repeatable, transparent method to examine base budgets, compare institutions, and evaluate how appropriations support core educational outcomes.
Committee members asked clarifying questions during the presentation. Senator Kwan asked for a clearer definition of the "access" performance metric used in the system scorecard; Joseph explained the metric is measured as the share of Utah high school graduates enrolling in postsecondary education within three years and that institutional numbers are the share of regional high school graduates enrolling in the particular institution.
Joseph said the new five-year cycle starts this interim and that the subcommittee will vote on an official plan during next week's budget prioritization meeting. He also noted that previous cycles used multiple LFA staff and that the updated standardized appropriation structure will help make inter-institution comparisons easier.
Ending: the subcommittee did not adopt the plan at the meeting; members were asked to review the recommendation and prepare to vote during scheduled budget prioritization sessions next week.
