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House approves $1.99 billion education funding bill, folds programs into block grants
Summary
The Utah House passed first substitute House Bill 3 on Feb. 26, 2001, approving roughly $1.988 billion for the minimum school program, raising the WPU and folding several programs into block grants while preserving a one-year hold‑harmless provision. Debate focused on a $15 million teacher-development stipend folded into the WPU and the implications of block granting for future funding.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives passed first substitute House Bill 3 on Feb. 26, approving about $1.988 billion for the state’s minimum school program and making multiple funding and formula changes for public education.
Representative Daley, sponsor of the bill, told the House the package increases the value of the WPU (weighted pupil unit) from $2,006 to $2,110 and includes roughly $24,785,000 in one-time funding. "The bill appropriates approximately 1,988,000,000 and a little plus, to the uniform school fund and our fund uniform school fund to the minimum school program," Daley said on the floor.
The substitute also folded a set of previously separate line-item programs into block grants, a move supporters said would give local districts more flexibility. Daley said the changes include funding for math and science, teacher recruitment, assessment and accountability, and expanded special-education WPU support. She said block granting was intended to preserve total funding and provide districts greater local control.
Opponents warned that moving programs from above-the-line (WPU-driven) funding to below-the-line block grants could reduce automatic annual increases for labor-intensive programs over time. One member argued that although the block grants are held harmless for the coming year, folding programs into block grants can mean they are no longer automatically tied to future WPU increases.
A significant point of contention was $15,000,000 that had been set aside for stipends tied to three days of professional development. The substitute motion folded that $15,000,000 into the WPU and proposed replacing the stipend on a one-time basis from the Education Protection Fund. Supporters said the change signals local districts to use their WPU allocations for development days; critics said the move could reduce guarantees that teachers would receive the stipend in future years.
The bill passed on final vote with the clerk announcing 67 yes votes; it will be referred to the Senate for further consideration.
What happens next: the House referred the first substitute House Bill 3 to the Senate; members and staff will continue working through differences as the bill moves between chambers.
