| OCR Text |
Show Rising sen! enrollments' ' ' i the C place stress n finances- f Rising school enrollments and slower revenue growth will place great stress on Utah state and local finances during the coming decade. This point was emphasized by Utah Foundation, the private tax research organization, in their latest analysis of rising school enrollments. According to the Foundation study, public school enrollments, which leveled off for a short time in the mid-1970's, mid-1970's, have resumed an upward trend. This fall enrollments climbed by 10,310 over 1979. Based on present per student operating costs, this influx of new students translates into added costs of more than $15 million per year. The Foundation report shows that 1980 enrollment in the Uintah district schools totaled 5,525. This represents an increase of 204 or 3.83 percent from the 1979 fall enrollment of 5,321. 1980 enrollment in the Duchesne district is 3,722. This represents an increase of 168 or 4.73 percent from the fall enrollment of 3,554. In Daggett school district the 1980 enrollment is 170, a decrease of 18 or minus 9.57 percent from the 1979 fall enrollment of 188. Daggett county figures excludes 28 students from out of state. Not only are most districts in Utah experiencing enrollment increases, but the study indicates that this rising trend will accelerate in the years immediately im-mediately ahead. By the mid-1980's, the year-to-year enrollment increase in Utah will exceed 21,000 students. This will surpass the growth experienced during the post-World War II period, when the state was hard pressed to meet all of the educational demands. Previously, the peak year-to-year increase in-crease occurred in 1964 when Utah school enrollments rose by 13,799. This fall there were 342,885 students enrolled in Utah public schools. Foundation analysts project that enrollments will climb to 436 ,000 by 1985 and 532,000 by 1990. This represents a gain of more than 93,000 students, ("EC percent, over the next five years atfsaii increase of 189,000 students, oi-clai percent over the next ten years. ons Major reasons for this expe. growth, according to the report art. the continuing rise in the number or births in Utah and (2) the in-mign 'Jct' of population into the state. Utah s t. rate is the highest in the nation, currently is nearly twice that of national average. In addition, I . recorded the fifth fastest popula -1 growth among the states during -u 1970-1980 decade. A total of $503.1 million was propriated for public school opera; purposes during the 1980-81 school X ' If recent spending and inflation trt continue, the Foundation Predic'r-.re Utah's minimum school prog" would exceed $1 billion by the lw.j school year and $2 billion by W Ten years from now in lM0-91' would be spending $2.8 billion per V for school operations based on u trends. In addition to increased funaV school operating costs, the incra enrollments would also require : srw increased spending the capital oui One study made two , estimated a school building excess of $1.7 billion through the w i school year. Since that time, or studies have indicated tnai estimate of school building needs be too low. ' The school l.nancing problem isMa pounded by the fact that per cap J come levels in Utah are con near the bottom among the sta nation. Since all taxes uiumat come from income produced, Utah's heavy education load newj particularly onerous. fi The Foundation's report m ttatifUtahtatomeetttecM the 1980's without major tax ui much greater emphasis will have placed operational economy alternate ways of solving ;U.e pr posed by the deluge of new who will be entering the The study suggests ; that Pr established as to which prog essential in the educational proc , |
