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Show Utah Foundation Notes Increased School Costs mill local levy to participate in this enlarged program. The report notes that the total state guaranteed school program (basic and supplemental) under the new law will be $5,922 per Salt Lake School District would have increased operating funds of $710,697 or 0468 per distribution distri-bution unit if the new school legislation enacted by the 1959 Utah Legislature had been in effect this year. This was one of the findings presented in a comprehensive com-prehensive analysis of the 1959 changes in Utah's public school laws. Under the new school finance law, Salt Lake School District would be able to finance a maximum maxi-mum operating program of $10,-896,108 $10,-896,108 or $7,169 per distribution distribu-tion unit without resorting. to any further special election. Ac- distribution unit, compared with $5,376 per unit under the present pres-ent law. Foundation analysts note that the increased cost of the new enlarged en-larged school program will be borne almost entirely by the state. Based on preliminary 1958-59 data, the State's obligation obli-gation under the new school finance fi-nance laws will be increased by approximately $4,466,000.00 per year compared with continued operation of the present formula. for-mula. In addition, because of increasing in-creasing enrollments, the state's obligations will rise by $2 million mil-lion a year during each of the next several years. Utah Foundation analysts emphasize em-phasize that the extent of the cost effect of cumulative enrollment enroll-ment increases is not generally understood. A cumulative increases in-creases alone confronts the State with raising $8 million in added school revenue for the biennium. This seeming anomaly becomes clear when illustrated in round figure totals: if the state share was $30 million in 1958 and $32 million in 1959, the total for the current biennium is $62 million. The total for 1960, allowing only the $2 million increase for added enrollment, becomes $34 million and $36 million for 1961, a biennial bi-ennial total of $70 million. $8 cording to Utah Foundation calculations, cal-culations, the actual funds for the operating program this year amount to $9,967,136 or $6,558 per distribution unit. Salt Lake School District has approximately approximate-ly 1,520 distribution units this year. One distribution unit is roughly equal to 27 pupils in average daily attendance. Additional Ad-ditional units are also allowed for isolated small schools, supervisory super-visory personnel, classes for handicapped han-dicapped children, and summertime summer-time vocational agriculture and home economics classes. In orderto finance such a maximum max-imum program without further election, Salt Lake School District Dis-trict would have to impose a local property tax levy of 23.47 mills for operations. Utah Foundation Foun-dation points out that the district dis-trict imposed a total local levy of 22.60 mills this year for the school operating purposes. million greater than the $62 million mil-lion required the previous biennium. bi-ennium. Utah Foundation's study shows that despite substantial increases in the level of the sttte supported support-ed school program during the last 12 years, there has been no corresponding rise in the level of the property tax to support the enlarged program. Between 1947 and 1958, the level of the state supported school program has increased 62.9 per cent. During Dur-ing this same period the total state and local property tax to The new law would permit Salt Lake School District to maintain main-tain a school operating program costing up to $8,054 per distribution distri-bution unit, if the voters were to approve the maximum allowable allow-able leeway in a special election held for that purpose. In order to finance this maximum school program; however, a local tax of 28.86 mills for operating purposes woudl have to be imposed im-posed in the district. Utah Foundation analysts explain ex-plain that the changes made by the new school finance law in- crease the funds available for public school' purposes by. extending ex-tending substantial additional state aid with no rise in the local effort needed to participate in the program. The new law increases the state supported basic 1 program from $4800 to $5150 per distribution unit for a 12 mill local effort. In addition, the state supported supplemental program is increased in-creased from 12 to 15 per cent ($576 to $772 per distribution unit) with no change in the 4- support the program was reduced re-duced 2.4 mills. The increased funds to provide for the steadily increased school program during the past twelve years have been provided largely large-ly by new taxes and by substantial substan-tial transfers from other funds such as the general fund. A total of $12,500,000 was transferred from the general fund to the uniform school fund during the present 1957-59 biennium and $9,000,000 will be transferred during the 1959-61 biennium. |