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Show ' J I Utah schools cost I of billion by 1980 All i legislative and administrative administra-tive scrutiny. During the past ten years, school operating expenditures expend-itures in Utah rose by $167 million. Approximately $77 million, or 46 of the increase, in-crease, was accounted for by inflation (i.e. the reduced purchasing power of the dollar) dol-lar) and $9.7 million, or 6 of the increase, was the result of increased school enrollment. The Foundation study shows that $80.8 million, or 48 of the school expenditure expend-iture rise between 1964-65 and 1974-75, is attributable to a variety of factors, such as (1) increased retirement ' and fringe benefits for school employees, (2) reductions in the average class size, (3) increased employment of nonteaching instructional personnel, (4) introduction of new programs, and (5) salary Increases In excess of cost-of-living changes. If spending for these other factors should increase in the next decade at the same rate as it has during the past ten years, another $300 million would be added to school operating costs in Utah by the 1985-86 school year. A large part of the financing financ-ing problem for Utah schools in the next decade will be caused by an expected rise in school enrollments, according ac-cording to the Foundation. Between the 1964-65 and All school programs must I be carefully evaluated against the benefits received if Utah is to control educational educa-tional costs and finance public pub-lic school operating expenditures expend-itures from present tax sources In the decade ahead. This warning was sounded by Utah Foundation, the private research organ-j organ-j ization, In their latest analy sis of school expenditure trends in Utah. The report indicates that school operating operat-ing costs in Utah will approach ap-proach $1 billion a year by the mid-1980's If present trends continue. In addition to this outlook for substantially sub-stantially higher school operating expenditures, added ad-ded amounts will be needed for capital outlay, debt service, ser-vice, and school lunch. According to the Foundation, Founda-tion, much of the expected increase over the next ten years will be the result of enrollment growth and rising prices which are not controllable control-lable by state and local officials. of-ficials. A large part of the projected Increase, however, how-ever, Is based on past trends and therefore is subject to future discretionary decisions. de-cisions. It is this portion of the projected Increase that Foundation analysts say should be subject to closer 1974-75 school years, average aver-age daily membership In the Utah schools rose by only 9. During the next ten years school enrollments In Utah are expected to climb by 28. This resumption of rapid growth in the Utah schools will add about $89 million to annual school operating costs resulting from enrollment growth, expenditures ex-penditures will tend to rise with changes in the price level. Over the past ten years the consume r's price index rose at an average rate of about 5.2 per year. During the past few years, the Inflation In-flation rate has been well above this ten-year average, although It has been declining declin-ing somewhat In recent months. If the annual Inflation In-flation rate in the next decade should average 5, an additional ad-ditional $256 million per year would be needed by 1985-86 to fund the present level of school services in . Utah. Utah presently is spending about $315 million per year for school operations (1975-76 (1975-76 estimate). (The Foundation Founda-tion study indicates that this expenditure would more than treble by 1985-86 if the spending trends of the past ten years are continued through the next decade. |
