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Utah House Approves $23.79 Million Catch‑Up for Textbooks, Adds State Board Role in Allocation
Summary
House amends and passes HB 40 to appropriate $23,790,000 for textbook purchases after an audit found statewide shortages; amendment requires annual accounting and allows the State Board of Education to help identify need before the funds are allocated.
Speaker Stevens framed House Bill 40 as a response to a legislative audit that identified a multimillion-dollar shortfall in textbook availability across districts. "The audit report indeed said that we were short in textbooks in the state to the tune of about $30,000,000," the speaker told members while introducing the bill and an amendment that creates annual accounting requirements for textbook funds.
The bill as discussed provides an appropriation of $23,790,000 to the State Board of Education to allocate to districts based on identified need and the districts' efforts to meet textbook requirements. Members debated whether the auditor's sample was exhaustive, how to avoid rewarding districts that had improperly redirected textbook fees, and whether the State Board should supplement the audit-based allocation. An amendment added the phrase "or as identified by the State Board of Education" to the allocation language to allow the board to consider additional evidence of need.
Lawmakers described specific district examples, including allegations that some districts had stored or delayed textbook purchases; sponsors said the priority was getting textbooks to students rather than assigning blame. After amendment and extended debate, the House passed HB 40 as amended (75 yes, 0 no) and referred it to the Senate.
What happens next: The appropriation will be handled by the State Board of Education for distribution to local school boards according to the bill’s allocation criteria and the board’s procedures. The bill also directs the board to make rules about adequate textbook supply and to report publicly on compliance.
