House Unanimously Passes 'Centennial Schools' Program to Expand Local School Control

The Utah House unanimously approved Substitute House Bill 100, a bill establishing the Centennial Schools program that gives participating schools more contractual autonomy and local control over curriculum and management. The House recorded 73 affirmative votes and 0 opposing votes.

Sponsor Representative Rob W. Bishop said the program is part of a strategic plan to create site-based governance and contractual freedoms for local school boards and school-level directors. "This bill ... establishes the Centennial School Program ... It requires us to take a totally new look on the way schools will be structured," Bishop said, emphasizing parental and teacher roles in planning.

Members from both parties described the program as stemming from a bipartisan strategic planning process and discussed funding options. Representative Kelly Atkinson circulated minutes documenting the strategic planning committee's work and said the committee had discussed a strategic allocation (a referenced figure of $20,000,000 and a draft allocation of $5,000 per school plus $10 per student were raised as planning figures). Bishop said the program would be piloted and that schools would apply competitively.

Floor discussion covered liability for school directors, the number of potential candidate schools (about 700 schools were cited), and how grants and ongoing funding might be structured. The House opened the bill for cosponsorship and allowed members time to add their names before the measure is sent to the Senate. After debate and agreed-upon amendments, the substitute bill passed by recorded vote.