As the Utah Legislative session wrapped up last week, a pair of bills local officials say would take money from Summit County school districts passed both houses and are waiting for the governor’s stamp of approval.
If signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert, S.B. 97 would raise property taxes to generate $75 million in annual revenue, which would then be distributed to the state’s poorer districts. Sponsored by Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, the bill would raise the property tax liability $48 on a $250,000 home and $348 for a $1 million business property.
Local school officials have criticized the bill, saying Summit County residents would pay an undue proportion of the tax increases while seeing little in return. On Monday, Moe Hickey, a member of the Park City Board of Education and its legislative liaison, had not softened his stance even in light of legislators touting that they had increased funding for education during the session.
“You can’t take equalization and say, ‘Yeah, we increased funding for everybody 4 percent,'” Hickey said. “Some districts are going to get money, but some aren’t.”
North Summit School District superintendent Jerre Holmes was not available for comment but previously had stated that he did not anticipate his district would benefit from the bill.
If the bill passes, Hickey said he expects Park City School District to pocket slightly more money than it would otherwise have. But he said that’s little justification for the amount of the increased taxes residents will pay that will be leaving the district. Much of those taxes will be distributed to other districts.
“It’s the hardest thing to quantify for people — the missed opportunity,” Hickey said. “Sen. Osmond sold it not as money that Park City wouldn’t be getting or another district wouldn’t be getting but that ‘This is money that hasn’t been realized and all we’re going to do is make sure it’s fairly distributed.’ But if you’re raising new revenue, you’re raising somebody’s taxes, by definition.”
Osmond’s legislative coordinator did not return multiple calls seeking comment.
H.B. 119 also drew the ire of local officials. Sponsored by Brad Hand, R-Hurricane, the bill requires school districts to give 25 percent of their per-pupil tax revenues for each student in the district’s boundaries enrolled in a charter school to the state’s Charter School Local Replacement Funding Program. The state disperses those funds proportionally to charter schools throughout the state.
A bill in the Senate would have increased that amount to 50 percent did not pass. However, Hickey said he would not be surprised if a similar bill passed in the coming years, which would mean more money would be leaving local school districts and heading to charters. Hickey and local charter school officials have been adamant that increasing the funding districts send to charters is not the solution. Rather, they would prefer to see both charters and districts receive more funding.
Hickey said the Legislative session leaves a bad taste in the mouths of those who care about local education.
“I don’t want to fall into the trap of taking a beating and saying, ‘Well, it could have been worse,'” he said. “My attitude is education is woefully underfunded in this state. The Legislature doesn’t want to take that responsibility, as far as I’m concerned.”
The session was particularly disappointing, Hickey said, because it became more clear the Legislature is unwilling to take drastic measures to improve public education.
“I’m sort of confused as to when they’re actually going to spend the money,” he said. “I’m convinced the only way there’s going to be truly more money going to education in this state is if citizens demand an increase in taxes that only go to education. That’s the only way anything significant is going to happen.”