Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
- HB102 proposes sunset review dates for eight public education programs.
- Supporters argue it ensures efficient taxpayer spending, while opponents fear funding instability and program cuts.
- The Senate Education Committee passed a revised bill, excluding one program, with further discussions planned.
SALT LAKE CITY — Thirty-seven public education programs in Utah have regular sunset review dates, and a bill looking to add more programs to that list sparked debate Monday during a Utah Senate Education Committee meeting.
HB102, sponsored by Utah state Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, would require sunset review dates for eight public education programs that don't currently have them. Those programs are:
- Enhancement for Accelerated Students Program
- Concurrent enrollment funding
- Student health and counseling support
- Teacher Student and Success Program
- Dual language immersion
- Digital Teaching and Learning Grant Program
- Grant for professional learning
- Professional staff weighted pupil unit
In the bill text, if a program was repealed, its funds would be "appropriated to the flexible allocation," a program that provides a flexible source of funding for school districts and charter schools to use in their budgets.
Fillmore admitted the text of the bill could come across as a bit jarring but insisted the intent of his bill is not to repeal people's favorite programs.
"That's not what's happening," Fillmore said. "The effort is only to provide legislative oversight to the programs on a regular basis to ensure that taxpayer money is being spent efficiently and that these programs are achieving their goals."
However, some organizations and lawmakers contested that impending sunset dates could make the programs listed in the bill difficult to run.
"It's hard to run a program if you don't know if you're going to have that funding there or where that funding is going to go," said Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights.
A previous version of the bill included the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program, but Fillmore on Monday made a substitute to remove it from the list of programs because, he said, "People have convinced me that because their program relies on a lot of outside fundraising, that having a date by which that program ends would actually hurt their fundraising."
Riebe said she thinks all of the other programs listed in the bill deserve that same courtesy.
"For that exact reason, I'm not going to support that substitute. But I'm also not going to support this bill because you just made the case for why it would be hard to actually run these things for that," she said. "We do have a program that doesn't have any oversight and overwhelmingly, our senate supported it. It's called Utah Fits All. If we all want to have accountability, we should include accountability for everything."
Elizabeth Converse, who spoke to the committee on behalf of the Utah School Nurse Association, agreed with Riebe, saying changes could lead to further funding losses for essential staff.
Converse explained that two years ago, the association's funding was rolled into Utah's weighted pupil unit, which has led to the loss of funding and personnel.
"While we are not directly implicated in these programs, we are speaking against the bill. While adding sunset dates to these programs may seem harmless, this is a step towards line-item funding eradication through lack of action," Converse said. "If a sunset would negatively impact Beverly Sorenson, that negative impact is felt through all of our programs."
Converse suggested the Legislature instead implement a statutorily required review, which the association would support.
The Utah School Boards Association also spoke against the legislation, citing dual language immersion programs as an example as to why.
"We have taken great measures in our school district to make sure that when we commit to a child in first grade, that they can finish that program, that they are able to because they work really hard to learn those languages," said Julie Jackson, vice president of the Utah School Boards Association.
Jackson added that if a program was sunsetted and that funding was moved to the flexible allocation, the program would lose funding because it wouldn't be able to receive the inflationary adjustment on that money.
"If we, as a district, decided to use that flexible allocation to continue, say, a dual language immersion program, we would be figuring out how to fund that over time. We wouldn't be able to just do it on our own," Jackson said.
On the other hand, groups like Utah Parents United and the Utah Eagle Forum spoke in support of Fillmore's bill.
Corinne Johnson, founder and president of Utah Parents United, called the legislation a "critical step towards stronger legislative oversight" of educational programs.
"We would also encourage the Legislature to go further, not only ensuring accountability but also assessing whether each program aligns with the proper role of education and genuinely supports student's academic success," Johnson said. "Taxpayer funds should be directed towards initiatives that produce measurable educational outcomes."
Dalane England with the Utah Eagle Forum echoed some of Johnson's sentiments.
"I think it's always wise to review all of the programs, including Utah Fits All," England said. "I do think it is very wise to measure and to have oversight and to look at the programs and make sure that they're creating more value than their costing us."
The committee eventually passed a motion to substitute the original bill with a revised version that omits the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program from the bill text through a 4-to-1 vote, with Riebe casting the lone vote in opposition.
The bill is set to be heard again in a future Senate Education Committee meeting.
