Lawmakers Reach Deal on Charter School Funding
03.12.2010 by Elizabeth Ziegler
(KCPW News) A dispute over financing charter schools last night nearly unraveled a delicate compromise on education funding the Utah House, Senate and governor struck earlier in the week. Republican Senator Howard Stephenson declared the Senate would stand firm on an amendment to gradually shift property tax dollars from local school districts to charter schools, after the House removed it from the education budget bill, Senate Bill 2.
“The House has really changed the bill we sent them,” he said. “We thought we had used great wisdom in what we sent them. And they basically did away with the permanent fix of the charter school replacement formula.
The stalemate threatened to kill the education budget bill altogether.
Governor Gary Herbert offered to make charter school funding a focus of his Educational Excellence Commission. He said the issue was too important to be dealt with as a last-minute tweak.
“I view it as a little bit of a monkey wrench in the gears at the last hours of the session for what would be a significant policy change,” said Herbert. “I think we’d be better served to see what comes out of my body. And if I can build some consensus on that, I think we’ll have just a better approach to take with those recommendations.”
The Senate eventually conceded to let the House version of the bill pass, with one caveat: the issue of charter school funding will be studied over the summer. Senate Bill 2 passed at 9:45 p.m.
A dispute over financing charter schools last night nearly unraveled a delicate compromise on education funding the Utah House, Senate and governor struck earlier in the week. Republican Senator Howard Stephenson declared the Senate would stand firm on an amendment to gradually shift property tax dollars from local school districts to charter schools, after the House removed it from the education budget bill, Senate Bill 2.
12-EDBUDGET 1 :17 “…replacement formula.”
“The House has really changed the bill we sent them. We thought we had used great wisdom in what we sent them. And they basically did away with the permanent fix of the charter school replacement formula.
The stalemate threatened to kill the education budget bill altogether.
Governor Gary Herbert offered to make charter school funding a focus of his Educational Excellence Commission. He said the issue was too important to be dealt with as a last-minute tweak.
12-EDBUDGET 2 :20 “… with those recommendations.”
“I view it as a little bit of a monkey wrench in the gears at the last hours of the session for what would be a significant policy change. I think we’d be better served to see what comes out of my body. And if I can build some consensus on that, I think we’ll have just a better approach to take with those recommendations.”
The Senate eventually conceded to let the House version of the bill pass, with one caveat: the issue of charter school funding will be studied over the summer. Senate Bill 2 passed at 9:45 p.m.
