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Show L : Utah Foundation Reports That Iron County School District May Increase 1965 Program Iron Courty School District will be able to Increase Its school operating program by approximately approxi-mately $1,209 per distribution (classroom) unit next year plus an additional $473 the following year, as a result of the new school finance program adopted These facts were brought out In a detailed analysis of the 1965 school finance legislation prepar-ed prepar-ed by the Utah Foundation, the private governmental research or. gantzatlon. Foundation analysist explain that a distribution unit Is allowed for each clssroom unit of 27 pupils. Additional distribution distribu-tion units are allowed for supervisory super-visory personnel, small schools, special classes for handicapped children, vocational education, and other purposes. . If Iron County School District utilizes all of the finance authority auth-ority granted under the law, the school program would be raised by 13.0 In the first year and 18.1 In the second year over present 1964-65 levels. Still further fur-ther increases could be had If .they were approved by the voters vot-ers in a special school finance election. In order to finance this increased in-creased program the Foundation report points out that the Iron . County District would have to raise its local school levy by 3.00 mills during the first year (1965) plus and added one mill the following fol-lowing year. Partially offsetting these local tax increases is a probable slight reduction In the jtate property tax levy for schools. Current estimates place the state levy fcr schools at 8-Stt 8-Stt mills for each of the next two years. This compares with 9.1 mills in 1964 and 7.6 mills In 1963. In addition to these changes in property tax rates. Foundation Founda-tion analysists note that residents of Iron County will pay higher Individual Income taxes, and businesses will pay higher corporate cor-porate taxes in order to meet the increased state costs under the new program. According to Foundation calculations, the Individual In-dividual income tax rate changes (up from 1-5 to 2 6',i) will raise the tax In the average case by 41, with individual Increases ranging from 30 to lu0 (from 4 to 6) to help pay for the enlarged program and balance the state budget Altogether the new school program pro-gram is expected to cost an additional ad-ditional $25.8 million per blen-nium, blen-nium, of which $16.6 million will come from added state funds and $5.2 million from Increased local taxes. The 'Aamdatlon report notes that these, estimates of increased in-creased cost do not Include the growth factor, which has added $8-10 million a biennlum to school costs during recent blen-nlums. blen-nlums. The Foundation report observes that a question still to be resolved resol-ved by school boards is what proportion pro-portion of the lncr;'"d funds should be allocated for teacher salaries and what proportion for other purposes. Two years ago a proposed program which was widely publicized by CAPS, representing re-presenting organized school groups, would have allocated 42 of the added funds sought for teachers salaries, 28 for expanded staff, and 30 for sup plies and equipment. Originally, the 1965 school legislation contained con-tained a provision which would limit the proportion going for increased in-creased teachers salaries to 57 of the Increased funds for the operating program, not Including Includ-ing special funds provided for libraries, li-braries, extended school year, etc. This limitation however, was removed re-moved from the bill before final passage. State funds for school buildings were cut slightly by the 1965 Utah Legislature. Foundation figures show that approximately $9.3 million in state aid for local school construction will be available avail-able during the next biennlum. This compares with $99 million in state school building aid available avail-able during the present (1963-65) . i;icnr.i'.iiT. |
