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Finance committee urges board to waive FY26 true‑up for special‑education add‑on for expanding charters
Summary
Facing dramatic midyear reductions under the special‑education add‑on formula, the committee recommended the board waive paragraph 3 of R277‑479 for FY2026 for expanding charter schools and asked staff to return with corrective options and phased approaches to avoid service disruptions.
The Utah State Board of Education Financial Operations Committee voted Nov. 7 to recommend the board waive paragraph 3 of administrative rule R277‑479 for fiscal year 2026 for expanding charter schools that would otherwise see reduced special‑education add‑on allocations when the rule's true‑up is applied.
The committee acted after hearing from charter‑school finance officials who warned large reductions could force staffing losses and interrupt services. John McQueary, business manager for Syracuse Arts Academy, said a proposed 42% reduction would be "catastrophic," estimating "approximately $1,237,000 in lost or reduced funding" and urging a phased correction over multiple years. Sam Gibbs, executive director at Salt Lake Academy, told the committee the change would "virtually make it impossible for…
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