Public Education Funding Amendments

6
53F-9-201.1
0
Public Education Funding Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: John Arthur
Senate Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill provides additional funding for the Minimum School Program in certain fiscal
years with enrollment decline.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
provides additional funding for the Minimum School Program in certain fiscal years with
enrollment decline; and
makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53F-9-201.1
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 456
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53F-9-201.1
is amended to read:
53F-9-201.1
. Appropriations to the Minimum School Program from the Uniform
School Fund.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Base budget" means the same as that term is defined in legislative rule.
(b)
"Enrollment growth and inflation estimates" means the cost estimates regarding
enrollment growth and inflation described in Section
53F-2-208
.
(2)
Except as provided in Subsection
53F-9-204(3)
, for a fiscal year beginning on or after
July 1, 2021, when preparing the Public Education Base Budget, the Office of the
Legislative Fiscal Analyst shall include appropriations to the Minimum School Program
from the Uniform School Fund, and, subject to Subsection
53F-9-204(3)
, the Public
Education Economic Stabilization Restricted Account, in an amount that is greater than
or equal to the sum of:
(a)
the ongoing Income Tax Fund and Uniform School Fund appropriations to the
Minimum School Program in the current fiscal year; and
(b)
subject to Subsection
53F-9-204(3)(b)
,
:
(i)
enrollment growth and inflation estimates
.
; and
(ii)
for a fiscal year in which enrollment declines, to increase the value of the
weighted pupil unit, as defined in Section
53F-2-102
, an amount equal to a
projected reduction in appropriations to the Minimum School Program from the
Uniform School Fund for the given fiscal year related to a decline in student
enrollment that the Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst recommends to the
Executive Appropriations Committee, in consultation with the state board and the
Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.
(3)
The total annual amount deposited into the Uniform School Fund, including the deposits
through the distributions described in Sections
59-7-532
and
59-10-544
, for a given
fiscal year may not exceed the amount appropriated from the Uniform School Fund for
that fiscal year.
Section 2.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
July 1, 2026
.
2-5-26 8:20 AM