Committee adopts substitute then holds bill to create statewide open educational resources with $60M five‑year plan
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Summary
Senate Bill 119 would direct the State Board of Education to develop K–8 open educational resources aligned to Utah core standards at an estimated cost of roughly $60 million over five years; the committee adopted the fourth substitute but later voted to hold the bill amid concerns about scope, procurement and ongoing costs.
Senate Bill 119 (fourth substitute), sponsored by Senator Fillmore, directs the State Board of Education to develop and publish K–8 open educational resources aligned to Utah core standards. Sponsor argued a multi‑year, state-led effort (estimated roughly $12 million per year over five years in testimony) could reduce the $200 million statewide textbook spend and provide Utah‑aligned materials that districts and teachers could use without per‑copy licensing costs.
State Superintendent Molly Hart described previous pilot efforts and said the department has done limited OER work and could scale materials incrementally by subject and grade. "We would not do everything all at once," Hart said, describing digital and print‑as‑appropriate delivery and a mixed approach of in‑house work and contractor RFPs. Amanda Bollinger, vice chair of the State Board, emphasized teacher burnout tied to frequent curriculum turnover and said a guaranteed viable curriculum could help retention and alignment.
Committee members supported the concept but raised fiscal and adoption concerns: Representative McPherson and others questioned whether districts would adopt materials and whether the up‑front investment could be spent without broad local adoption. Representative Lisonbee and others urged more stakeholder input and clarification on ongoing costs and procurement; some members stressed the resource is not "free" to taxpayers because state funds would pay development costs.
The committee unanimously adopted the fourth substitute to address an unfunded-mandate repeal and clarify implementation. Later, after extended debate about cost, scope and adoption incentives, the committee voted to hold SB 119 on a motion to hold (7–5). Sponsors said the budget includes partial funding this year, allowing a phased start and evaluation of uptake, and that the State Board plans teacher involvement in development.
What’s next: SB 119 was held so members can address concerns about procurement, adoption incentives, long‑term maintenance funding and scope; sponsors and the State Board indicated a phased pilot approach and promised continued engagement with districts and teachers.