Voters will decide on a constitutional amendment which would change the way education is funded in Utah. Since the 1940’s, K through 12 education has been the recipient of revenues from state income taxes. In the mid 90’s higher education was added on to that income tax earmark.
Utah State Board of Education Member Carol Lear, representing Park City, outlines a roller coaster of education funding proposals the legislature initiated this year. Initially they planned to increase the Weighted Pupil Unit (which is the major education funding mechanism) by 6% under HB 357. COVID-19 economic impacts caused the legislature to withdraw that bill. In the July special session, they passed HB 5011, which Lear says, adds potential increases to education funding but it won’t happen unless voters pass Amendment G. It would change how income tax revenues are distributed by expanding to other programs besides education. Lear has deep concerns about the future education of funding if Amendment G passes at the ballot box.
“And the biggest concern I have about Amendment G, it would take away, even though it's not particularly satisfactory, this constitutional dedication of the income tax only to public education, K-12 and higher ed. It would take that away from what public education would get in return our number of legislative promises and those promises can be taken away by a subsequent legislature completely undone. So, to have the dedication of the constitution, however unsatisfactory, is in my mind better than legislative promises that as we saw this year, went from 6% in March. And April, it became 1% of an increase. And granted extraordinary circumstances [exist] but still a real disappointment to public education."
Lear says the way the ballot initiative reads is disingenuous. She says it does not explain the impact it would have on education funding, but still, the state board supports the amendment.
“The legislature very much wants this. I feel like, cornered. Every single one of the education advocate groups--all of them support it including the State Board of Education that voted to support it by a nine to four vote. So, not all of us supported it. It’s pretty widely supported and I feel like it was because a gun was held to our head, collectively and individually as groups, to say if you want anything this is how you're going to get it. Promises are in statutes and can be changed by subsequent legislators, as we've seen with the cannabis situation the redistricting. All these changes that are statutory or subject to review every year.”
If Amendment G passes and is approved by the legislature, Lear says there is a list of about 10 groups, including people with disabilities, that would share in the tax revenues, but she says the dollar figure is not known.
“The other thing that is troubling and challenging is putting it in competition with individuals with disabilities because the schools have always served people with disabilities. We just don't know how this will affect public education.”
Lear says it’s a very uncertain time and she is concerned about a change to the constitutional public education earmarks that exist now. She says promises made by one legislative body can be unmade by another.
