District Funding Proposals Are Key to Split Success

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Lawmakers are working on a plan to equalize school funding and they hope it will guarantee success for several proposed school district splits in Salt Lake County. The plan attempts to allot money for new school buildings based on enrollment growth in each district. And that worries Granite School District budget director Mitch Robison:

"This is being touted as the solution to all your problems with the district split and that it will take care of all our needs on the West side," says Robison. "we just don't feel it does that. What ends up happening is they take 40 million dollars of property taxes from Salt Lake County and send 27 million out to other counties where there's high growth."

Granite School District officials say plans by several East bench communities to split from the district could leave their growing West side schools without enough money for new buildings or improvements. Senator Howard Stephenson's proposal puts property taxes into one statewide pool and then distributes it to districts based on enrollment growth.

"My funding proposal addresses growth in student numbers wherever it occurs in the state," says Stephenson. "It essentially follows the prinicipal of taxing growth where it exists to fund student growth and new buildings where they are needed."

Stephenson is working to merge his proposal with one by House Speaker Greg Curtis that takes other district needs into account county by county. If they succeed, Stephenson says they hope to have a special session in August to pass the legislation. That could ease voter concerns and improve the chances a district split would be approved.

Today the Salt Lake County Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed splits at 4:30 p.m.

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