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House approves education base budget amendment to release undistributed funds and set WPU values
Summary
The Utah House on Feb. 8 passed first substitute House Bill 1, a public education base-budget bill that raises the primary WPU to $3,092, adjusts add-on WPUs and authorizes immediate distribution of previously undisbursed funds to school districts if a two-thirds threshold is met.
The Utah House of Representatives voted unanimously Feb. 8 to approve first substitute House Bill 1, a package of public-education base-budget amendments aimed at correcting distribution errors and setting initial appropriations for fiscal 2017.
Sponsor Representative Jason Lisonbee said the bill "establishes the base budget for the minimum school program, the school building program, the Utah State Office of Education and the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind" and sets the primary weighted pupil unit (WPU) at $3,092 and the add-on WPU for special education and CTE at $2,837. He told members the change addresses a formula error that left about $22–24 million of the $75 million intended for education undistributed in the current fiscal year.
"This change provides the statutory authorization for the board to distribute the funding to qualifying school districts," Lisonbee said, noting the funds are already appropriated and the adjustment simply permits immediate distribution. The bill also transfers $500,000 from the Minimum School Program to the State Board of Education to cover current-year costs for home- and private-school students participating in the statewide online education program, paid from available non-lapsing balances.
Members asked for technical clarifications. Representative Jason Briscoe asked whether the lines in section 8 would make the voted local levy change immediate; Lisonbee and other members agreed that, if the Legislature achieves a two-thirds majority, districts "would have immediate access" to roughly $23 million (with 75 percent for operations and 25 percent for capital outlay), though Lisonbee cautioned "immediate" meant as soon as feasibly possible rather than within minutes. Representative Cunningham sought assurance that the adjustment to the basic rate would not change total revenue, and Lisonbee explained the rate floats so the state collects the same amount overall and captures approximately $12 million in revenue attributable to new growth.
Representative Cox and others urged swift approval so districts would receive the money "where we promised it." After a motion to substitute and brief debate, the House passed the bill 74–0 and transmitted it to the Senate for consideration.
The bill sets initial line-item appropriations for FY2017 at the same levels as the 2016 appropriations (less one-time funding) and signals that further adjustments for enrollment growth and other priorities will be handled in subsequent budget legislation.
