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Shelley Osterloh Reporting Utah schools are getting a little more money than they expected this year, thanks to the Utah Trust lands.
It's back to school night at Park View Elementary in Salt Lake City. It is a school with a very diverse group of kids -- 14 different languages are spoken at the year-round school. Money from the School Trust Lands is helping teachers meet some of the special challenges they have there.
Books line the tables of the Library at Park View Elementary. Each child who attends Back to School night with a parent gets to take home a new book. That's important to kids who may not have books at home. School Trust money helps buy those books, and the ones in other languages or those about cultures around the world.
Money from the School Trust has also bought new computers and special educational programs to help at risk kids.
Janine Smith, Principal Park View Elementary: "In order to have the new staff development, we needed to purchase substitutes, professional development for teachers, and all the materials. And Trust Lands came in, it was crucial for us."
Last year this school got more than 13-thousand dollars from the fund --- this year, nearly 18-thousand.
The Trust Lands Administration manages 3.5 million acres of trust lands scattered throughout the state of Utah. Money from land sales and use goes into a permanent fund which is invested. The interest and dividends gained are paid out to Utah schools.
Natalie Gordon, Trust Lands Commissioner, Utah PTA: "And so a cow that is grazing on School Trust Lands today or a barrel of oil that comes out of School Trust Lands today will benefit Utah school children forever. And that's the most important thing about these lands."
Gordon says, thanks to good investment and oil royalties, the fund had grown well this year. That means Utah schools will get more money.
In 2004 schools received 9.5 million from the fund. Now, just two years later, that number has almost doubled. To Park View Elementary -- that means more books and computers.
Each school has a committee of parents and teachers that decide how the money will be used to meet their children's academic needs, and this year they'll have a little more to work with.
