All Roll Calls
Yes: 95 • No: 2
UtahH.B. 22025 General SessionHouseWALLET
Public Education Budget Amendments
Sponsored By: Stephen L. Whyte (Republican)
Signed by Governor
Public BudgetingEducationK-12 EducationGovernment Operations (State Issues)Appropriations
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
27 provisions identified: 10 benefits, 12 costs, 5 mixed.
Higher educator pay with salary protections
Beginning July 1, 2025, the FY2026 salary adjustment is $10,350 per full-time educator when Utah Fits All is funded and active. Otherwise, the adjustment is $5,175; part-time amounts are prorated by hours worked. Educators with an unsatisfactory rating on any of their three latest evaluations do not qualify. State rules must prevent schools from using salary supplements to replace raises tied to higher weighted pupil unit values. Schools also cannot cut or artificially limit teacher salaries to keep the supplement.
One-time stipends for school support workers
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law establishes a one-time $1,000 stipend plus employer-paid benefits, subject to legislative appropriations. Workers must be directly employed and paid by a local education agency or regional education service agency on September 1, 2025. They must work in a school setting, and payments are prorated by full-time-equivalent status. Exclusions cover licensed school-level educators, specified district central-office staff, and contractors not directly paid or reported by the agency. Agencies must return unspent funds by December 31, 2025.
Volunteer emergency medical workers lose coverage
The Volunteer Emergency Medical Service Personnel Health Insurance Program ends July 1, 2027. Eligible volunteers lose access to this state program after that date. The supplied provisions do not identify replacement coverage or state the value of the lost coverage.
Education savings incentive ends in 2028
The law ends Utah’s Education Savings Incentive Program on July 1, 2028. Eligible participants lose access to the program after that date. The supplied provisions do not specify incentive amounts or how existing accounts and awards are treated.
Schools lose one-time funding for 2025
Effective May 7, 2025, the law cuts one-time FY2025 Flexible Allocation funding by $82.5103 million. It also cuts $19.101 million from the Enrollment Growth Contingency. Further one-time cuts are $266,600 for elementary arts, $461,600 for digital teaching, and $108,700 for student health and counseling. The supplied provisions do not show how these cuts are divided among schools.
School funding shifts toward flexible spending
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law repeals the professional staff funding formula, removing $269.2693 million and 57,610 weighted pupil units for FY2026. It adds $265.0642 million for Flexible Allocation, distributed by each school agency’s share of Basic School Program weighted pupil units. Flexible funding depends on appropriations, and its ongoing state tax funding enters annual inflation cost estimates. FY2026 additions include $47.38 million for educator salary adjustments, $45.2 million for support-staff bonuses, $3.6 million for charter base funding, and $7.327 million for the Grow Your Own Teacher and Counselor Pipeline. Cuts total $1.5 million for digital teaching, $2 million for student health and counseling, and $3.935 million for professional learning grants.
School budget funding source changes
For FY2026, the law directs $842.1018 million in existing education funding to come from the Uniform School Fund instead of Local Revenue. This source change does not change the appropriation amount. Its July 1, 2025 effectiveness is contingent on related S.B. 37 law changes.
Deaf and blind schools gain funding
Effective May 7, 2025, the law adds $993,000 in one-time FY2025 funding for Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind administration. The money supports administrative operations, not direct household payments.
More education and leadership program funding
Effective May 7, 2025, the law adds $30 million in one-time FY2025 funding for Excellence in Education and Leadership. The money supports education programs rather than direct payments to households.
More funding for small schools
Effective May 7, 2025, the law adds $3.2635 million in one-time FY2025 funding for Necessary Existent Small Schools. Beginning July 1, 2025, it provides $12.5 million in one-time FY2026 grants for small-district capital projects. The State Board awards multiple grants through the Capital Projects Evaluation Panel for approved projects. The Legislature intends to prioritize districts that received no funding in a prior fiscal year.
More funding for school assessment systems
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $4.3 million in one-time fiscal year 2026 funding for Assessment and Accountability. This supports Utah's education assessment and accountability systems. The provision does not specify how the money is divided or provide a direct household payment.
More funding for school learning initiatives
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $8.31 million in one-time fiscal year 2026 funding for education contracts and grants. It directs the State Board of Education to award Scrible, Inc. $900,000 for an online tool documenting student work's authenticity. It also directs a $225,000 award to Utah State University Extension through the Informal Science Education Enhancement program. Both direct awards follow Utah's direct-award grant law and are for fiscal year 2026. These grants pay organizations, not households.
More funding for students' career training
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $275,000 for Career and Technical Education in fiscal year 2026. The money supports Utah schools and students. The provision does not specify an individual student benefit or a direct household payment.
More scholarship funding for Utah families
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $20 million in one-time fiscal year 2026 funding for Utah Fits All scholarships. It also adds $4 million for Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship administration in fiscal year 2026. Legislative intent gives priority for additional scholarship funding to applicants seeking help with private school costs, followed by other applicants. These provisions do not set individual award amounts or guarantee awards.
School student data system gets funding
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law adds $10 million in one-time fiscal year 2026 funding for the Student Information System. Legislative intent calls for a State Board of Education implementation plan before any of this money is spent. The plan covers problems, proposed fixes, planned spending, participating local education agencies, and expected dates for meeting state data standards. The board is to report the plan to the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee by August 30, 2025.
School drinking water provision ends
Beginning July 1, 2027, the law repeals a state provision concerning drinking water quality in schools. Schools are no longer subject to that provision's requirements. The supplied text does not describe those requirements or identify replacement protections; it does not establish that all water safeguards end.
Districts lose extra levy funding protections
Beginning July 1, 2025, guarantee protection after property-value-driven certified tax rate changes lasts one year instead of five. Qualifying districts retain 100% of their FY2025 excess guarantee in FY2026, 66% in FY2027, 33% in FY2028, and none in FY2029. Their total state guarantee cannot exceed their FY2025 total. The law also ends required first-quarter payments of leftover prior-year voted and board local levy funds to qualifying districts.
Education oversight and administration funding falls
Effective May 7, 2025, the law cuts FY2025 Assessment and Accountability funding by $3.9809 million. It also cuts $2.2387 million in one-time State Board of Education board and administration funding. These reductions affect state education operations, not direct household payments.
Less funding certainty for disability scholarships
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law cuts FY2026 Carson Smith Scholarship funding by $400,000. It also removes automatic scholarship funding growth based on average awards, statewide public-school individualized education program enrollment, and a 0.0007 factor. Annual scholarship appropriations remain required, but that growth formula no longer applies. The supplied provisions do not specify changes to individual awards.
Less funding for reading and interventions
Effective May 7, 2025, FY2025 cuts include $3.8999 million for early literacy software and $85,000 for reading-difficulty interventions. The law also cuts $77,900 for intergenerational poverty interventions and $70,900 for Supplemental Educational Improvement Matching Grants. Beginning July 1, 2025, FY2026 early literacy software funding falls by another $2 million. Elementary Reading Assessment Software Tools also lose $800,000 in FY2026.
School civics and outreach support shrink
The Local Innovations Civics Education Pilot Program ends July 1, 2025. Effective May 7, 2025, the law also cuts $58,300 in one-time FY2025 Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools funding. The supplied provisions do not identify changes to individual school services.
School CPR training grants lose funding
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law cuts FY2026 CPR Training Grant Program funding by $270,000. Less money is available for grants. The supplied provisions do not identify which grants or training activities are reduced.
Special education aid falls with protections
Beginning July 1, 2025, FY2026 Special Education Impact Aid falls by $3.4417 million, removing 736 weighted pupil units. The State Board directs the reduction to school agencies enrolling more than 1% of Utah’s special education population. Agencies below 1%, or where special education students exceed 50% of enrollment, are intended to retain at least FY2025 funding.
Teacher training grants and support shrink
On July 1, 2025, the law ends the professional learning grant provision and the Elementary Teacher Preparation Grant provision. The supplied provisions do not explain whether existing teacher preparation awards continue. Effective May 7, 2025, the law also cuts $1.0217 million in one-time FY2025 School Turnaround and Leadership Development funding.
Career training funds get different rules
Beginning July 1, 2025, Technology-Life-Careers loses its exception allowing restricted career-training funds to support programs below grade nine. The related allocation follows student membership hours in grades nine through 12. Separately, school agencies receiving the general career-training allocation can use it for Technology-Life-Careers and student leadership groups. This permission does not add funding.
Career training gains then loses funding
Effective May 7, 2025, the law adds $275,000 for Career and Technical Education in FY2025. Beginning July 1, 2025, it cuts FY2026 career-training add-on funding by $4.2082 million. That reduction removes 900 weighted pupil units from the add-on allocation. These are school program funds, not payments to individual students.
School construction and levy support shift
Beginning July 1, 2025, the Minimum Basic Growth Account’s Foundation Program share rises from 20% to 25%. The voted local levy guarantee keeps 75%, while the enrollment-growth capital program’s 5% share ends. The law repeals that enrollment-growth program and cuts its FY2026 funding by $5.6388 million. Local Levy Growth Account money first expands guaranteed levy increments, then raises guarantee amounts, with a combined 20-increment district cap. These allocations depend on legislative appropriations, and local levy growth allocations also remain subject to future budget limits.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Stephen L. Whyte
Republican • House
Cosponsors
Heidi Balderree
Republican • Senate
Roll Call Votes
Senate vote • 3/5/2025
Senate/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 3/5/2025
Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
Yes: 23 • No: 0
House vote • 3/4/2025
House/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
House vote • 3/4/2025
House/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
House vote • 3/4/2025
House/ floor amendment
Yes: 0 • No: 0
House vote • 3/4/2025
House/ passed 3rd reading
Yes: 72 • No: 2
Senate vote • 3/4/2025
Senate/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
House vote • Unknown
House/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • Unknown
Senate/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • Unknown
Senate/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
House vote • Unknown
House/ floor amendment
Yes: 0 • No: 0
House vote • Unknown
House/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Governor Signed
3/25/2025House/ to Governor
3/12/2025HouseHouse/ received enrolled bill from Printing
3/12/2025HouseHouse/ enrolled bill to Printing
3/12/2025HouseEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
3/12/2025Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
3/5/2025Bill Received from House for Enrolling
3/5/2025House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
3/5/2025HouseHouse/ received from Senate
3/5/2025HouseSenate/ to House
3/5/2025SenateSenate/ signed by President/ returned to House
3/5/2025SenateSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
3/5/2025SenateSenate/ uncircled
3/5/2025SenateSenate/ circled
3/4/2025SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
3/4/2025SenateSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
3/4/2025SenateSenate/ received from House
3/4/2025SenateHouse/ to Senate
3/4/2025HouseHouse/ passed 3rd reading
3/4/2025HouseHouse/ floor amendment
3/4/2025HouseHouse/ uncircled
3/4/2025HouseHouse/ circled
3/4/2025HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
3/4/2025HouseHouse/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
3/3/2025HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
3/3/2025House
Bill Text
Enrolled
3/12/2025
Amended 3/4/2025 13:03:107
3/4/2025
Introduced
3/2/2025