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Senate passes supplemental public-education budget that adds millions for K–12 and higher education
Summary
The Senate passed Senate Bill 4, a current-school-year supplemental public education budget measure that sponsors said includes more than $425 million in new funding for public and higher education and adjustments to teacher supplements; the bill passed by voice/roll-call and is to be sent to the House.
The Utah Senate on March 9 passed Senate Bill 4, a supplemental appropriation for the current school year that sponsors said includes substantial funding adjustments for K–12 and higher education.
Senator Brent Hilliard, sponsor of SB 4, told the floor the bill contains a series of appropriations and adjustments that together add "more than $425,000,000 in new funding for public and higher education." He said the bill includes items approved by the executive appropriations committee and that two late changes were added: an increase in one-time performance-pay funding and funding tied to an Olympic-related initiative for Salt Lake City.
Hilliard described the bill as part of the broader budget package, noting it should be read in conjunction with other education and compensation bills. He also described programmatic adjustments, transfers between education funds, and funding to keep transportation revenue in balance with bondholder obligations. Senator Osman thanked the sponsor for the work of the executive appropriations committee and sought confirmation that items not listed in the handout would not be funded without a fiscal-note bill; Hilliard confirmed that to be correct.
Later in the afternoon the Senate resumed consideration, uncircled SB 4, and under suspension of the three-reading requirement passed SB 4. The clerk recorded 25 yeas, 0 nays and 4 absent; the bill will be sent to the House for consideration.
Sponsor remarks indicate the bill adjusts teacher-supplement funding levels and balances roughly $18 million in appropriations between the Education Fund and the Uniform School Fund, and makes transfers at the Utah State Office of Education to centralize certain costs. The Senate floor discussion did not include a complete line-item fiscal note in the transcript; the sponsor said a fiscal-analyst handout was being distributed to senators for line-by-line review.
The bill's passage advances the supplemental education appropriations to the House; staff and committee work will be needed to reconcile SB 4 with the rest of the budget package as the session continues.
