FY 1996 Appropriations Report


Public Education

State and local funding for the public education budget in Utah will increase by over $94.7 Million or 6.6 percent from FY 1995 to FY 1996. The Minimum School program grew by 6.1 percent and public education agency budgets were increased by 9.57 percent. In addition to these standard increases, the Legislature also included supplementals of $9.5 million for textbooks and supplies and transportation shortfalls of $4 Million were funded out of non-lapsing funds in the Minimum School Program. While approx. $88 Million was included in the standard budget, over $6.5 Million was provided in bills such as H. B. 172 - Highly Impacted Schools, H. B. 344 - Teachers' Supplies and Materials, and H. B. 245 - Gang Prevention.

State Office of Education: $1,258,900

The Utah State Office of Education received an increase of $1,258,900 in Uniform School Funds. These funds went to replace federal funds that were lost in the reauthorization act, fund a specialist in the Office of Civil Rights, provide ETI Administration with an ongoing budget, furnish ongoing maintenance costs of the state education database and gave funds to increase the School-to-Work program.

Arts and Science Programs: $200,000

The Legislature has appropriated an additional $131,400 for Arts and Science Request for Proposal Programs in addition to a 4 percent increase in the total Arts and Science subsidy program. This new program (RFP) will allow all arts and science groups to participate in funding opportunities in Utah's public education system.

Office of Rehabilitation Services: $929,900

The Office of Rehabilitation Services was appropriated a $929,900 increase in Uniform School Fund Revenue. This is a 10.3 percent increase in state funds. The majority of the increase was appropriated to fund the increase in the number of clients that will ask for service in FY 1996. The Legislature also gave the Independent Living Program $100,000 to purchase equipment clients need to live a more independent life style.

Applied Technology Centers: $1,773,100

This 9.6 percent increase will be used to:

1) fund enrollment growth and program expansion;

2) fund Certified Network Engineers to operate management information system;

3) fund Operation and Maintenance of new building space in Brigham City and Richfield;

4) fund a compensation increase for employees.

Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind: $656,900

The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the blind were given a 5.7 percent increase in their budget. This funding will be used for a variety of things such as transportation cost increases, Teacher and staff salary increases, and the parent infant program increase.

Custom Fit Training

Custom Fit training was given an increase of $444,000 which will expand the program to over two million dollars.

Four Service Regions

The Four Service Regions without ATC's were given a budget increase of $225,000 taking the total budget to $1,075,000 for FY 1996. These funds will be used to provide high school students with ATC type training.

Educational Contracts: $190,000

Each of the Educational Contracts received a Cost of Living increase which totaled $100,000 and a $90,000 increase was given to support educational programs at the prison.

Minimum School Program

The Minimum School Program is designed to provide funding on an equitable basis to all of the school districts in the state. Funding for public schools in the state increased over $82.9 Million (6.1 percent) for FY 1996. This does not include an additional $7 Million increase for High Impact Schools and Teachers' Supplies and Materials which were considered and passed separately in different bills. (With these added the increase is almost 6.7 percent for public schools.) The Legislature provided these dramatic funding increases in a year when Utah schools are projected to see their smallest student growth in over 15 years (0.4 percent increase projected). Also, the Legislature cut taxes in the state basic levy for public education from a 0.422 percent levy to 0.2864 percent. (Est. $90 Million tax cut)

Some of the increases in the Minimum School Program include the following:

Weighted Pupil Unit: 4 percent

The Weighted Pupil Unit which funds all of the public school program was increased by 4 percent. This is above the projected inflation rate of 3.2 percent for FY 1996 - the sixth consecutive year where the value of the WPU was increased higher than the rate of inflation.

Growth: $6.8 Million

For funding the 0.4 percent growth in students expected in FY 1996.

Special Education Programs: $400,000

The Legislature added funding for another expansion of the preschool special education program and funding for the basic formula for Regular Special Education.

Technology: $9,376,341 (ongoing) $4,200,000 (1995 one-time)

Part of the increase ($4.9 Million) in ongoing funding will fund UtahLink - the state's public education onramp to the information highway. This goes to fund training programs for teachers, software development and licensing costs as well as physical costs associated with the state wide area computer network. An additional $3.4 Million goes to fund the ETI Maintenance program in the MSP. Till recently all of the money appropriated for Educational Technology was on a one-time basis. This new money expands the ongoing portion from $1 Million to $4.4 Million and allows schools to replace and maintain the $120 Million of equipment already purchased. The remaining $1 Million in ongoing funds expand the operating budget of EDNET to include an additional 20 schools and ongoing funds for the 40 schools added last year and funded with one-time funds. The one-time funds are for 20 new EDNET sites ($1.5 Million) and $2.7 Million for ETI.

Applied Technology: $3,275,000

This significant increase (over 14 percent) was added to implement a new formula for high school applied technology programs. This formula would reward schools for placing their students in jobs, program completion and for students who continue in the chosen field instead of just seat time.

Bilingual Education: $1,600,000

This is for a Bilingual Education program that is designed to help districts meet OCR(Office of Civil Rights) standards in providing for a personalized education for those students who speak language other than English. The funding will provide inservice training to teachers for implementation of bilingual instructional models that meet national and regional criteria standards. A supplemental appropriation is also being provided to begin this effort.

Youth in Custody: $585,000

Youth-in-Custody is a program for persons under the age of twenty-one who are in the custody of a state agency other than the Utah State Training School, Utah State Hospital, State Division of Corrections, or Utah State Prison. The number of youth in custody in the state is growing dramatically. More youth are being incarcerated or placed in state custody because of:

1. The Governor's mandate to double bunk at secure facilities.

2. The consent decree from the law suit settlement from the Division of Family Services (DFS) which states that every youth in the custody of DFS must be referred to the Youth in Custody program in that district and the Child Welfare Reform Act, which also added youth to the custody of DFS.

3. The growth in DFS and DYC (Division of Youth Corrections) since July 1994 to the present.

The Legislature funded the growth for these increases.

Concurrent Enrollment: $1,815,000

This is the largest increase this program has received since it was started. It will significantly increase the amount of money available to school districts for students to take college classes while still in high school.

Adult Basic Skills: $600,000

This new program would give money to school districts to provide adult basic instruction in subjects such as English as a second language, basic living skills and similar services for immigrants and other unskilled individuals in Utah.

Character Education: $300,000

This funding is for districts to develop and implement character education programs that are a result of cooperation with district stakeholder and that fit within state guidelines. The funds are to be distributed based on applications from districts to the State Office of Education and based on board guidelines and funding formulas. The amount of funding will only allow for a few pilot programs on an experimental basis the first year. The Legislature will require an evaluation and a formal report to the 1996 Legislature.

Inservice Education: $700,000

This program is designed to provide in-service education to secondary school teachers including instruction in practices which incorporate the revised mathematics and science core curriculum; use of technology as an instructional tool; develop teacher skills in the use of new assessment tools that demonstrate student competency; etc.

Comprehensive Guidance: $1,500,000

The Comprehensive Guidance program addresses, very specifically, the strategies in the State's Public Education Strategic Plan that relate to developing an individualized educational/occupational program for every student (SEOP). The program is intended to take school counseling to a new level of performance, holding both counselors and principals accountable for the use of counselors' time while focusing services on student outcomes. This years appropriation will provide a total of $3,006,150 for the second year this program will be in place.

Table 29 Public Education Summary

FY 94 FY 95 FY 96 FY 96 / FY 95
Agency Programs Actual Estimated Appropriated Difference
State Office of Education $ 93,241,600 $ 99,728,100 $ 95,505,900 $ (4,222,200)
Office of Rehabilitation 29,855,900 32,927,800 33,205,100 277,300
Child Nutrition 72,091,800 74,400,000 76,900,000 2,500,000
Sub-Total $ 195,189,300 $ 207,055,900 $ 205,611,000 $ (1,444,900)
Custom Fit $ 2,132,200 $ 2,011,200 $ 2,010,100 $ (1,100)
Applied Technology Centers 19,117,400 22,028,700 23,172,500 1,143,800
Regions Without ATC's 600,000 850,000 1,075,000 225,000
Schools for the Deaf & Blind 10,978,100 12,221,600 12,634,800 413,200
Arts and Sciences 1,650,700 1,816,700 1,916,700 100,000
State Contracts 2,980,500 3,645,500 3,835,500 190,000
Total Agency Programs $ 232,648,200 $ 249,629,600 $ 250,255,600 $ 626,000
Minimum School Program $ 1,278,432,000 $ 1,359,445,262 $ 1,435,836,640 $ 76,391,378
School Building Program 8,958,000 23,416,000 24,116,000 700,000
Total Expenditures $ 1,520,038,200 $ 1,632,490,862 $ 1,710,208,240 $ 77,717,378
One Time Appropriations
State Office of Education $ $ 204,000 $ 204,000
Office of Rehabilitation 529,600 (529,600)
Applied Technology Centers 2,000,000 (2,000,000)
Schools for the Deaf & Blind
Minimum School Program
Gang Prevention 300,000 300,000
Teachers Supplies 2,000,000 2,000,000
Textbooks and Supplies 9,500,000 (9,500,000)
Bilingual Education 500,000 (500,000)
Concurrent Enrollment 500,000 (500,000)
Electronic Highway
Education Technology Int. 2,700,000 2,700,000
Ed Net 1,500,000 (1,500,000)
Total One Time $ 14,529,600 $ 5,204,000 $ (9,325,600)
Grand Total Expenditures $ 1,520,038,200 $ 1,647,020,462 $ 1,715,412,240 $ 68,391,778

Plan of Financing FY 94

Actual

FY 95

Estimated

FY 96

Appropriated

FY96/FY 95

Difference

Uniform School Fund - MSP $ 966,697,000 $ 1,045,597,366 $ 1,177,622,676 $ 132,025,310
Agencies 50,900,100 62,038,700 64,365,300 2,326,600
School Building Program 7,684,200 15,874,400 13,874,400 (2,000,000)
Subtotal Uniform Schl. Fund $ 1,025,281,300 $ 1,123,510,466 $ 1,255,862,376 $ 132,351,910
General Fund Restricted $ 161,100 $ 175,000 $ 280,000 $ 105,000
Federal Funds 160,427,700 163,940,900 166,303,300 2,362,400
Dedicated Credits 5,361,000 4,949,300 5,231,800 282,500
Driver Education 3,254,100 3,300,000 3,300,000
Liquor Control Tax 9,228,700 9,300,000 9,300,000
Professional Practice Act 48,900 58,000 60,000 2,000
Mineral Lease 1,931,400 2,481,100 5,181,100 2,700,000
Restricted Funds 181,500 181,100 (181,100)
Other 36,300 20,000 (20,000)
Transfer 1,183,200 1,012,500 864,300 (148,200)
Beginning Non-Lapsing Funds 21,715,200 7,316,900 846,900 (6,470,000)
Closing Non-Lapsing Funds (10,837,100) (830,700) (789,500) 41,200
Lapsing Funds (13,200,100)
Local School Property Tax 315,265,000 331,605,896 268,971,964 (62,633,932)
Grand Total Revenue $ 1,520,038,200 $ 1,647,020,462 $ 1,715,412,240 $ 68,391,778

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