PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Stephen Kroes, Executive Director, Utah Foundation
(801) 355-1400, ext. 5
(801) 573-8824 (mobile)
steve@utahfoundation.org 

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UTAH FOUNDATION RELEASES POSITION PAPERS BY STATE OFFICIALS AND ADVOCATES ON EDUCATION FINANCE AND REFORM

Today, Utah Foundation is releasing a set of position papers submitted by education officials, advocates, and policy groups on how to respond to Utah’s declining funding effort for public education. These papers were written in response to Utah Foundation’s report, "Paradox Lost: Utah’s Public Education Funding Effort No Longer Surpasses the Nation." That report showed that Utah’s traditional “education paradox” of very high taxpayer investment in education but low per-pupil funding had disappeared over the past ten years as tax and budget changes reduced the proportion of Utahns’ personal incomes dedicated to public education. Now, instead of high tax effort yielding low funding, Utah simply has low funding with a below-average effort.

The position papers released today are authored by the following organizations:

• Utah State Board of Education
• Utah School Boards Association, with Utah School Superintendents Association and Utah Association of School Business Officers
• Utah Education Association
• Utah Taxpayers Association
• Parents for Choice in Education
• Utah Association of Public Charter Schools
• Utah Commissioner of Higher Education
• Utah Parent Teacher Association

Obviously, such a collection includes differences of opinion on how Utah should respond to this trend or even whether the trend is a cause for concern. Following are highlights from these papers:

• The State Board of Education urges policymakers to consider underestimated revenues as "opportunity funds" rather than surpluses. They urge placing some of these funds in an education reserve account and spending some on specific one-time school needs (an appendix is included with details on one-time spending options). The State Board calls for an end to annual reductions in the statewide property tax rate for schools, and they also urge a revenue-neutral tax reform package, rather than one that reduces revenues. Finally, the board calls for a voter referendum on increasing and protecting revenues for public and higher education.
   
• The Utah State School Boards Association along with their partners call for holding steady the statewide property tax rate for schools so that schools can benefit from rising property values. They also advocate for stricter earmarking of income taxes for public education.
   
• The Utah Education Association calls for a stop in shifting education funds to other state programs and highlights deficiencies it sees in how recent revenues were allocated. UEA states that tax increases are not needed, but advocates for keeping current revenues intact and avoiding tax cuts. It highlights problems with local property taxes used for redevelopment projects and urges stricter scrutiny of these projects. UEA, like many of the other groups, calls for changes in how the statewide school property tax is set, including allowing the base property tax revenue to grow with inflation. It also opposes enactment of a voucher law that would allow parents to utilize state funding to help pay for private school tuition. 
   
• The Utah Taxpayers Association states that spending more money on public education is not sufficient and that other reforms would have greater impact, including expanding charter schools, providing private school vouchers for low income students, merit and differential pay for teachers who are top performers. The association also states that Utah’s high tax burden and recent strong revenue growth do not justify tax increases for education funding. It charts what the impact would be on a typical family if taxes were raised to meet or approach national averages in per-pupil funding.
   
• Parents for Choice in Education provides a detailed paper on how simplifying the state’s Minimum School Program would make school finance more transparent, accountable, and more flexible in addressing changing school needs. The group supports increased funding for education but that it must come with increased transparency and accountability to the public. The paper outlines a new funding formula and evaluates its impacts on funding equity and benefits that would arise from increased flexibility for districts and schools.
   
• The Utah Association of Public Charter Schools calls for education funding to be more closely tied to each student and for funds to fully follow each student to whichever school his or her parents choose. The association also calls for greater flexibility at the school level to spend resources as needed to meet the school’s unique needs, which could include higher pay to attract top-notch teachers, extra tutoring for students, or other locally determined needs. It advocates for financial bonuses for schools with high or improved academic achievement. It also calls for parity in funding between district and charter schools, with attention to finding a new model for charter school facility financing.
   
• The Utah Parent Teacher Association calls for greater spending on education rather than tax cuts. It highlights problems with state mandates that impose costs on districts without adequate compensation. The PTA calls on the Legislature to provide ten years’ funding for any new mandates it imposes. The group also expresses opposition to private school vouchers or tax credits and urges a hard look at how funding is allocated to public and higher education.
   
• The State Commissioner of Higher Education, Richard Kendell, urges public education advocates avoid simply focusing on stronger earmarking of revenues for K-12 schools. Rather, he suggest that public and higher education make a stronger case to the Legislature about the strategic role they will play in the state’s future and that such a role constitutes a compelling reason for additional state expenditures. He describes the changing economy and the need to have a highly educated workforce for Utah to stay competitive. He warns that other states are implementing significant reforms and leaving Utah behind. Finally, he urges greater investment in getting young students fully literate in English and mathematics, smaller class sizes, better trained teachers, and better assessment measures. He also calls for an increase in need-based financial aid for college students.

Most of these organizations will be represented at Utah Foundation’s forum on education finance and reform to be held Thursday, September 7 from 8 AM to 10 AM at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center. Details on the event, along with the position papers, are available at www.utahfoundation.org.
 
Authors of these papers may be contacted the following ways:
 
Utah State Board of Education
Superintendent Patti Harrington
(801) 538-7510
 
Utah School Boards Association
Executive Director Richard Stowell
(801) 566-1207
 
Utah Education Association
President Kim Campbell
(801) 266-4461 x102
 
Utah Taxpayers Association
Vice President Mike Jerman
(801) 972-8814
 
Parents for Choice in Education
Executive Director Elisa Peterson
(801) 532-4515
 
Utah Association of Public Charter Schools Executive Director Kim Frank
(801) 722-8911
 
Utah Commissioner of Higher Education
Commissioner Richard Kendell
(801) 321-7103
 
Utah Parent Teacher Association
Legislative Vice President Ronda Rose
(801) 261-3100
 
 
Utah Foundation is a public policy research group that promotes a thriving economy, a well-prepared workforce, and a high quality of life for Utahns through research and practical, well-reasoned recommendations for policy change.