Senate adopts a $2.17 billion minimum school program budget; WPU rises 4% and $50 million in one-time school building funds added

The Utah State Senate voted to pass House Bill 160 on Feb. 28, a broad minimum school program funding bill for the 2007–2008 school year. Sponsor Senator Stevenson outlined major line items: $2,170,000,000 in ongoing uniform school fund revenue, $128,000,000 in one-time uniform school fund revenue, and $21,000,000 in ongoing restricted interest/dividend revenue to support the minimum school program and school building program.

Stevenson said the bill raises the weighted pupil unit (WPU) from $2,417 to $2,514, a 4% increase, and adds $50,000,000 in one-time school building funds that will be split between the Capital Outlay Foundation ($15 million) and enrollment-growth support ($35 million). He and supporters framed those changes as part of a broader package that will increase public-education funding by more than half a billion dollars once other passed bills are included.

Senator Maine offered Amendment No. 3 to reserve $350,000 of online-testing funds to support career and technical education (CTE) testing. Senator Stevenson supported the amendment and it was adopted without resistance. Senators asked whether school boards would be required to use the WPU increase for classified staff raises; Stevenson said the legislation does not direct local boards how to allocate funds but urged fairness.

Senator Jones raised concerns about classified employees' pay relative to teacher increases; Stevenson reiterated that the bill does not mandate how local boards must allocate the 4% WPU increase. The Senate then voted to pass HB 160 under suspension of the rules; the clerk reported final passage with the bill receiving 27 yes votes and 0 nays with reported absences noted by the clerk. The bill will be returned to the House for signature.