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House passes $5 million reading initiative after extended debate over accountability and local control
Summary
After several hours of floor debate and negotiated amendments, the House approved House Bill 3 12 on Feb. 25, 1999, creating a $5 million ongoing reading block grant for K–3 reading improvement, paired with reporting/accountability requirements and a plan development requirement for districts.
The Utah House passed House Bill 3 12, a broadly framed reading initiative aimed at ensuring students read at grade level by the end of third grade, after extended debate over how much the Legislature should prescribe local plans and what accountability should look like.
Sponsor Representative Alexander told the House the bill’s goal is to “get all children reading at grade level by the end of the third grade” and described the measure as a block grant to be used by districts on locally designed reading plans. He argued for local flexibility while saying the Legislature must set standards and an accountability framework. After numerous members raised concerns about…
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