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House approves Senate Bill 2, increases WPU and funds K‑12 priorities
Summary
The Utah House passed Senate Bill 2, a supplemental education appropriation that raises the weighted pupil unit (WPU) to $2,972, shifts nonlapsing balances into the education fund, and provides one‑time and ongoing dollars for dual immersion, teacher supplies, arts programs and suicide prevention.
The Utah House passed Senate Bill 2 on March 11, 2014, approving a supplemental change to the Uniform School Fund that alters per‑pupil funding and directs one‑time and ongoing dollars for K‑12 priorities.
Representative Brown, sponsor in the House, said the bill provides $2.6 million ongoing and $9.3 million one‑time for education and transfers up to $58.9 million in nonlapsing minimum school program balances into the education fund. The measure raises the base weighted pupil unit (WPU) from $2,899 to $2,972—an increase of about $80 per WPU—and makes other adjustments for add‑on WPUs and program-specific allocations.
Brown detailed program allocations: $300,000 ongoing for dual immersion in elementary schools; $5 million one‑time for teacher supplies; $4 million for the Beverly Taylor Sorensen Elementary Arts Learning Program; $159,000 ongoing for suicide prevention education; funding for the Upstart program ($3,000,000 ongoing) and an IT Academy ($300,000 one‑time); and $354,000 ongoing for charter school support specialists. He also noted $400,000 to the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind for teaching positions and intent language that clarifies enrollment estimates and charter school statutory provisions.
Representative Cunningham asked whether charter school support specialists would be hired by the State Office of Education; a representative clarified the staff will work in the state office but “directly for the charter school board” and estimated two to three full‑time positions. Brown waived summation, the House opened voting, and the bill was transmitted to the Senate for further consideration and the Speaker’s signature.
The bill is part of the fiscal finish‑out for the budget year, including intent language adopted by subcommittees and the executive appropriations committee directing how the transferred and newly appropriated funds should be used.
What happens next: the bill was to be signed by the Speaker and returned to the Senate for the President’s signature and further processing.
