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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Senate passed SB149 Wednesday, a bill that creates a process for disbursing funds set aside at the end of the 2018 legislative session as part of lawmakers' compromise with backers of the Our Schools Now citizen initiative.
"What this will allow us to do is have local control. The money is going to go directly to our schools and school personnel. Some of it can used for salary increases up to 25 percent in all schools and up to 40 percent in school districts that have teacher salaries that are below the statewide average," said Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, the bill's sponsor.
In addition to local control, SB149 calls for local accountability. Most of the money will be used to fund school-level plans intended to improve academic achievement. Local school boards must approve all plans and hold schools accountable for improving performance. School community councils will have a role in creating their school's Teacher and Student Success plan.
If a school does not demonstrate at least a 1 percent increase in the number of points earned on the statewide school accountability system, local school boards must work with the school's principal to modify the schools plans.
The bill also allows a school to use up to 5 percent of its allocation to help retain school personnel at the principal's discretion
The funding cannot be used for school buildings or school administration, Millner said.
Millner said SB149 was crafted in meetings with "many people in the room," among them elected officials, education leaders and members of the business community.
She described SB149 as the enabling legislation of the Our Schools Now compromise.
Under the agreement, the citizen group dropped its ballot initiative, which sought to raise $700 million-plus for education.
The group agreed to the Legislature placing on the statewide ballot a nonbinding question that asked voters whether motor fuel taxes should be increased, and use the revenue to offset money being taken from the general fund from education, and to transportation. Question 1 failed with just 35 percent of Utahns supporting it and 65 percent voting no, despite backers spending more than $2 million urging Utah voters to vote for it.
The compromise also included the Utah Legislature instituting a five-year freeze on the only property tax levy set by state lawmakers, which allows more education revenue to be captured as property values rise.
The 2018 legislation, sponsored by Rep. Brad Last, R-Hurricane, appropriated $65.1 million into the restricted Teacher and Student Success Account.
Recently, the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee recommended $35 million in ongoing funding for the initiative in the FY2020 budget. The final budget bill will be set by the Legislature's Executive Appropriations Committee and voted on in both legislative houses.
SB149 was unanimously approved by Senate and moves to the House for further consideration.
