FY 2016 Appropriation

The Beverley Taylor Sorenson (BTS) Elementary Arts Learning Program began as a four-year pilot program. The program provides grants to school districts and charter schools to hire approximately 50 highly qualified, full-time arts specialists base at 50 schools. Statute states that the "program was created to enhance the social, emotional, academic, and arts learning of students in kindergarten through grade 6 by integrating arts teaching and learning into core subject areas."

Funding History

Funding Issues

Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts

Funding will increase the reach of the program into additional elementary schools. Preliminary estimates indicate that the additional funding will allow approximately 173 additional elementary schools to participate and serve an additional 140,000 students. This will allow approximately 70 percent of elementary schools to participate in the program.
Appropriation Overview

During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $6,500,000 from all sources for Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts. This is a 30 percent increase from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $6,500,000 from the General/Education Funds, an increase of 30 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.

Appropriation Adjustments

The following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:

DescriptionOngoingOne-Time Beverley Taylor Sorenson Elementary Arts$2,000,000$2,500,000
OngoingOne-TimeFinancing Source
$2,000,000$0Education Fund
$0$2,500,000Education Fund, One-time
Funding will increase the reach of the program into additional elementary schools. Preliminary estimates indicate that the additional funding will allow approximately 173 additional elementary schools to participate and serve an additional 140,000 students. This will allow approximately 70 percent of elementary schools to participate in the program.
Statute

The following statute governs the BTS Elementary Arts program:

  • UCA 53A-17a-162 -- provides the statutory framework for the program, highlights the program's purpose, distribution of funds, and reporting requirements.

Intent Language

HB0002: Item 2

The Legislature intends that the State Board of Education review the Pupil Transportation Allocation Formula and recommend ways to improve the formula to increase efficiency, simplify allocation methodology to school districts, and provide incentives for alternative transportation methods. The Legislature further intends that the State Board of Education report its recommendations to the Education Interim Committee and the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee by October 31, 2015.

HB0002: Item 2

The Legislature intends that the State Board of Education and State Board of Regents provide joint recommendations on how to ensure that each concurrent enrollment course is taught by a qualified instructor, that credits earned by students count towards major and minor degree requirements at state colleges and universities, and that students are advised on the transferability of credits to private and out of state institutions. The Legislature also intends that these recommendations be reported to the Education Interim Committee and the Public Education Appropriations Committee by October 31, 2015.

The BTS Elementary Arts learning program was funded beginning in FY 2009 with $15.8 million in one-time funds to support the pilot-program for four years. In a subsequent special session, the Legislature reduced the one-time appropriation by $5,865,000. Finally, during the 2010 General Session, legislators appropriated an additional $658,000 in one-time funding to provide sufficient funding to maintain the pilot-program through FY 2011. The Legislature appropriated an additional $4 million in one-time funding to continue the program through FY 2012. In FY 2013, the Legislature continued the program at a reduced level with an appropriation of $2 million one-time.

The Legislature has continued to fund the program using a mix of funding from ongoing and one-time sources. In FY 2014, the Legislature appropriated $4.0 million one-time and in FY 2015 $2.0 million ongoing and $3.0 million one-time.

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COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.