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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah State Board of Education voted unanimously Friday to extend by one year Provo City School District's contract to provide educational services to youths hospitalized at the Utah State Hospital.
The current five-year agreement was set to expire on June 30, but the State School Board has determined it will study the arrangement over the next year to determine the future delivery of education services at Oak Springs School, which serves pediatric patients at the hospital.
The annual state appropriation for the contract services, which is $1,153,200, has not been increased since the 1980s, according to state education officials. No agency has requested an increased appropriation, according to the Office of the Utah Legislative Fiscal Analyst.
Funding of the contract is one issue a State School Board working group will examine over the next year and bring recommendations to the full board for its consideration.
To be admitted to the hospital and attend Oak Springs School, youths must be referred to Utah State Hospital by local mental health authorities for treatment of severe mental illnesses. The pediatric facility has 72 beds and serves youths elementary school age to age 18.
— Marjorie Cortez
