Media Center
Consequence of cuts
Salt Lake Tribune, 09/03/2010
Even if Utah accepts federal money, schools may only see half of it
Deseret News, 09/03/2010
Attorneys say Utah can’t block $101M in school aid
Salt Lake Tribune, 09/02/2010
Utah will get new school testing system
Salt Lake Tribune, 09/02/2010
Tough course
Salt Lake Tribune, 08/31/2010
FAST FACT:
The proportion of Utah public school 8th graders who scored at the highest two levels in mathematics on national assessment tests increased by 36% between 1992 and 2005.
Base Budget for Public Ed Passes Legislature
February 08, 2010
Elizabeth Ziegler, KCPW
(KCPW News) The Utah Senate passed a $2.6 billion base budget for public education on Friday. It reflects the 17 percent cut enacted in last year’s base budget, plus an additional two percent. One-time money from the state’s reserve accounts and possibly other funds are expected to spare public education from a cut that dramatic. But Senate Minority Whip Ross Romero voted against the bill.
“I still find myself unable to support it,” he said. “I do appreciate the presentation, but I think cutting the WPU and not allowing for enrollment growth going forward is too challenging for our teachers and educators.”
The public education base budget effectively reduces per-pupil spending, and doesn’t allocate funds for the state’s estimated 11,000 new students next year.
Republican Senator Lyle Hillyard, the co-chairman of the Legislature’s top budget committee, says the economic slump has forced lawmakers to completely re-think the state budget by making targeted cuts now that will carry over into 2011 and beyond.
“I’m no longer going to talk about budget cuts or budget reductions, I’m going to talk about restructuring, because I think it’s important that what we are doing in the ‘10 budget that we can move on to that ’11 budget because I think even with the very best projections, which are not very high, we’re going to have to face some dramatic changes,” said Hillyard.
Hillyard says lawmakers will better know what kinds of changes are in store for the state after revenue projections are released on February 16th. Two base budget bills for public education and state agencies have now passed the House and Senate.
Source: http://kcpw.org/blog/local-news/2010-02-08/base-budget-for-public-ed-passes-legislature/