| Show Schools Get Funds Federal funds accounted for or of the total revenue of excluding school lunch received by the South Sanpete School District during the 66 1965 school year This was disclosed in a special special special cial study of Federal aid in the Utah schools just lust completed by Utah Foundation the private governmental research tion According to the Foundation report Federal aid to Utah's 40 school districts totaled or 67 of the total revenue excluding excluding excluding ex ex- school lunch funds received received received re re- by all districts last year When school lunch funds are in included included included in- in Federal aid including the value of commodities amounted to or 81 of all local school district rev rev- The study points out that even more significant than the direct Federal contributions to local school budgets is the influence of federal funds in the operations of the State School Office Approximately Approximately Approximately Ap Ap- Ap- Ap proximately 69 of the operating operating operating ing budget of the Utah Depart- Depart ment meet of Public Instruction this year will come from Federal funds Much of the direction for local school operations stems from policies formulated in the State School Office Foundation analysts note that Federal aid for local schools in in Utah has increased 37 times rise since 1960 compared with a 73 increase in total school revenue A large part of this increase is the rest of new Federal war on poverty programs programs programs pro pro- grams such as the manpower development development development de de- act the economic opportunity opportunity opportunity op op- act and the elementary and secondary education act Despite the substantial increase increase in increase in- in crease in Federal school aid received received received re re- during recent years the report states that Utah derives a smaller proportion of its revenue revenue rev rev- from Federal sources than do most other states According to the latest estimates prepared by the National Education Association Association Association As As- Utah ranks among the 50 states in the percentage of its total school revenue from Federal sources A major reason for the rela rela- low ranking of Utah inthe in inthe in inthe the receipt of Federal funds according according according ac ac- cording to the Utah Foundation study is that Federal allocation formulae for distributing school aid are in most cas cases unfavorable unfavorable unfavorable un un- favorable for Utah This is especially especially especially es es- true in in the case of the formula used to distribute school aid under the Federal elementary elementary elementary elemen elemen- tary and secondary act of 1965 The amount of Federal aid is in many cases not related either to the capacity or the effort of the respective states to support their own public schools For example the state of Illinois which devotes only 30 of its personal income to support of the public schools lowest effort among all of the states and with per capita income of second second second sec sec- ond high among the states in income per school child received 42 of its total school operating expenditures from the Federal general aid allotment Utah in contrast with a per capita income income income in in- come of 2355 ranking among the 50 states in income per school child and spending 54 of its income for public school operations among the top three in effort received only 24 of the current costs for school operations from its Federal Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral allotment This was less than 60 of the relative aid received received received re re- by the state of Illinois The states of New York 41 F Florida l lor o r i d a 60 Minnesota 53 Nebraska 55 Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania 51 Rhode Island 54 Missouri 75 Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Wis Wis- 41 and the District of Columbia 73 all with per capita incomes considerably above Utah's and with local effort effort effort ef ef- fort to support the schools below below below be be- low Utah's fared considerable better proportionately than did Utah Among western states whose per capita income is higher high high- er than Utah's and school effort lower states receiving a larger share of Federal general aid in 1966 were Idaho 41 Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado 40 Montana 43 A Arizona r i Z o 0 n a 58 California 33 California 33 Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington 31 Oregon 34 In contrast Utah's Federal aid proportion was 24 |
