All Roll Calls
Yes: 98 • No: 0
UtahS.B. 12025 General SessionSenateWALLET
Public Education Base Budget Amendments
Sponsored By: Heidi Balderree (Republican)
Signed by Governor
Public BudgetingEducationK-12 EducationLegislative OperationsGovernment Operations (State Issues)Appropriations
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
24 provisions identified: 16 benefits, 2 costs, 6 mixed.
Schools receive teacher and student funding
For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, the law provides about $443.12 million for educator salary adjustments. It also funds charter school local replacement at $302.91 million, pupil transportation at $134.41 million, and educator professional time at $77.7 million. The School LAND Trust Program gets about $111.31 million, while the Teacher and Student Success Program gets $228.55 million. A transfer funds the Teacher and Student Success Account with that same $228.55 million; interest brings its scheduled total to about $234.06 million. Fiscal year 2025 changes also provide about $8.1 million for student health and counseling, $7.89 million for the teacher and counselor pipeline, $6 million in flexible funding, $5.54 million for digital learning, $3.5 million for educator salary adjustments, and $3.11 million for charter school local replacement.
State funding backs local school levies
For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, voted local levy programs receive about $761.95 million. Board local levy programs receive about $511.06 million. These appropriations include $127.55 million from the Local Levy Growth Account and $56.25 million from the Minimum Basic Growth Account. The law transfers $75 million from the Income Tax Fund to the Minimum Basic Growth Account; interest brings its scheduled total to about $77.63 million. It also allocates about $108.46 million from the Income Tax Fund and $19.09 million from the Uniform School Fund to the Local Levy Growth Account; interest brings that account's scheduled total to $131.12 million.
Utah schools get core classroom funding
For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, core school funding includes about $3.56 billion from the Uniform School Fund. Sources also include $842.1 million in local revenue and $50 million from education reserves. Allocations include about $2.83 billion for grades 1–12, $194.5 million for kindergarten, $476.7 million for special education, and $195.7 million for smaller classes. The 2025 changes provide about $7.6 million for kindergarten, $6.67 million for small schools, $3.23 million for smaller classes, and $302,200 for at-risk students. The law cuts the 2025 enrollment growth contingency by about $8.25 million and provides distribution-balancing funds of $45 million in 2025 and $50 million in 2026.
School nutrition programs receive food funding
For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, Child Nutrition receives about $374.07 million. Federal food commodities receive another $31.54 million. The money supports school nutrition programs and participating students. These appropriations do not set a family's eligibility or individual benefit amount.
Students receive learning and skills funding
Beginning July 1, 2025, education standards programs receive about $141.72 million for special education and $15.68 million for early literacy improvement. They also receive about $28.18 million for teaching and learning, $26.81 million for assessment and accountability, and $19.2 million for career and technical education. Smaller allocations include $500,900 for student achievement, $94,500 for RTC Fees, $341,600 for CPR training, and $350,000 for hospitality and tourism education. Fiscal year 2026 program administration also receives about $1.24 million for early-learning training, $1.16 million for career education student groups, $1.12 million for youth in custody, $535,300 for safety and support, and $488,600 for early literacy. Fiscal year 2025 changes provide $4 million for early literacy improvement and about $5.04 million for teaching and learning, alongside related education standards funding.
Utah moves money into education reserves
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law transfers about $492.05 million from the Uniform School Fund into education reserves. The money goes to the Public Education Economic Stabilization Restricted Account. This is a transfer between state accounts, not a new household payment.
Student grants funded; some programs trimmed
For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, Utah Fits All scholarships receive about $82.63 million and Carson Smith Scholarships receive $10.98 million. Early-literacy software receives about $12.75 million, reading assessment tools $3.77 million, and computer science initiatives $5 million. The law also provides about $3.19 million for student success partnerships and $500,000 each for rural pupil transportation and child sexual abuse prevention. Fiscal year 2025 changes provide about $65.06 million for school safety grants, $7.54 million for contracts and grants, $2.25 million for early-literacy software, and $1.13 million for computer science. The 2025 schedule also cuts Paraeducator to Teacher Scholarships by $6,000 and UPSTART by $4,400.
Charter schools receive startup and financing funds
Fiscal year 2025 changes provide about $2.43 million for new charter school startups and $150,000 for statewide training. Beginning July 1, 2025, charter board and administration receive about $2.31 million, training receives $550,000, and startups receive $3.5 million. The Charter School Revolving Account receives about $1.51 million. The Utah Charter School Finance Authority also receives $50,000 for fiscal year 2026. These allocations support charter school programs and financing, not direct family payments.
Classrooms receive grade-based teaching supply funds
Beginning July 1, 2025, supply funding is based on classroom teacher positions. Pre-K special education and kindergarten through grade 6 receive $500 per position. Grades 7–12 receive $250 per position. These amounts are subject to proportional reductions only if available funding is insufficient. The money supports classroom supplies, not personal payments to teachers.
Eligible schools receive building program funds
For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, school building programs receive about $27.61 million through the Foundation Program. The Enrollment Growth Program receives about $5.64 million. These funds support schools and districts eligible for the building programs. The School Building Revolving Account also receives about $1.47 million, without naming a particular building project.
Online learning receives student program funding
For fiscal year 2025, online education funding includes about $1.64 million for the Statewide Online Education Program. The schedule also provides about $1.06 million for home and private school students and $13,800 for small high school support. Beginning July 1, 2025, the subsidy schedule provides about $3.43 million for statewide online education. It also provides about $9.35 million for home and private school students and $926,200 for small high school support. These are program funds, not stated payments to individual families.
School levy guarantees gain five-year protection
Beginning July 1, 2025, qualifying school districts keep state levy guarantees after property-value changes lower certified tax rates. The guarantee cannot fall solely for that reason for five years after the rate change. Districts must apply the rate reduction proportionally across voted, board, and capital local levies. Protection does not apply when districts fail that requirement or shift board or voted levy tax-rate capacity to capital levies. This protects district funding, not a particular homeowner's tax bill.
Schools receive student and leadership support
Beginning July 1, 2025, Student Support Services receives about $77.97 million and student mental health screenings receive $1 million. Teacher retention grants in Indigenous schools receive $728,500. The law also provides about $5.88 million for school turnaround and leadership development and $2.44 million for Policy and Communication. Fiscal year 2025 changes provide $1 million for school turnaround and leadership development, $417,500 for Policy and Communication, and $2,500 for math teacher training.
Students receive funded school arts outreach
Fiscal year 2025 changes provide $579,000 for Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools. The arts outreach provisional program receives $75,100, and the subsidy program receives $25,000. For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, Professional Outreach Programs in the Schools receives about $6.15 million. Within that funding, direct grants total about $6.12 million for 15 named groups. Examples include about $1.34 million for the Utah Symphony, $727,700 for Ballet West, and $449,000 for the Utah Opera.
Students receive funded science outreach programs
Fiscal year 2025 changes provide $1,300 for Informal Science Education Enhancement and $125,000 for provisional science outreach. For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, direct science outreach grants total $6.04 million. Recipients include Clark Planetarium, about $1.05 million; Discovery Gateway, $715,600; Hawkwatch International, $119,600; and Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, $807,400. Awards also go to the Natural History Museum of Utah, $866,800; Ogden Nature Center, $245,300; and Red Butte Gardens, $355,800. Thanksgiving Point receives $897,200, The Leonardo receives $598,100, Hogle Zoo receives $381,600, and a provisional Science Outreach program receives $325,500.
Teachers receive licensing and credential support
For fiscal year 2026, beginning July 1, 2025, educator licensing receives about $3.46 million. Science, technology, engineering, and math endorsement incentives receive about $1.31 million. The law also provides $346,300 for National Board-Certified Teachers. These are program budgets, not fixed award amounts for each teacher.
Underage drinking prevention receives state funding
Beginning July 1, 2025, the law transfers $1.75 million from the Liquor Control Fund to underage drinking prevention. The money goes to the Underage Drinking Prevention Program Restricted Account. Interest adds $58,300, bringing the scheduled account total to about $1.81 million. This funds a prevention program, not direct household payments.
School aid gains a funding safeguard
Beginning in fiscal year 2026, school funding increases above inflation trigger required support for the Local Levy Growth Account. This applies when the Executive Appropriations Committee raises the Weighted Pupil Unit value above the inflation-adjustment amount. The requirement covers both base and final budgets. The committee must include at least 0.5% of that budget's total Weighted Pupil Unit funding for the account. This supports school districts, not direct household payments.
Schools face stricter funding data deadlines
Beginning July 1, 2025, the state education board must set reporting rules and deadlines for districts and charter schools. It must send data for inflation and enrollment funding adjustments to the legislative fiscal analyst by October 15 each year. Late or incomplete local reports cannot be used to calculate enrollment growth.
Teacher endorsement incentive funding gets cut
For fiscal year 2025, the law cuts the STEM Endorsement Incentives program budget by $7,200. This leaves less program funding for teacher incentives tied to science, technology, engineering, and math endorsements. The law does not state how any individual teacher's payment changes.
Property taxes help fund Utah schools
For the fiscal year starting July 1, 2025, the law sets two statewide school property-tax revenue targets. The minimum basic target is $810.5932 million, with a preliminary rate of 0.001408. The Weighted Pupil Unit value target is $31.5086 million, with a preliminary rate of 0.000055. The Tax Commission must certify the 2025 rates by June 22; these estimates are not final rates. The taxes support school funding, while each property's tax bill depends on the certified rates and its taxable value.
Deaf and blind school budgets shift
Fiscal year 2025 changes provide about $5.18 million for transportation and support and $960,600 for accessible instructional materials. They also provide about $1.77 million for the School for the Deaf and $3.69 million for the School for the Blind. That schedule cuts administration by about $8.56 million and a separate Support Services line by $16,000. Beginning July 1, 2025, funding includes about $14.58 million for administration, $12.57 million for transportation and support, and $1.88 million for accessible instructional materials. The School for the Deaf receives about $13.06 million, and the School for the Blind receives $9.84 million.
Education offices receive funding and shifts
Fiscal year 2025 changes provide about $2.21 million for board administration, $1.04 million for financial operations, and $539,200 for financial systems grants. That year's Excellence in Education and Leadership funding falls by $45 million. Beginning July 1, 2025, the law provides a one-time $45 million for that leadership program from education reserves. Administrative allocations include about $5.34 million for financial operations, $16.02 million for technology, $8.63 million for shared indirect costs, $2.29 million for data, $837,600 for School Trust, and $9.5 million for board administration. The law also provides about $4.34 million for School and Institutional Trust Fund Office operations and $2.16 million for regional education service agencies.
School programs receive funding and cuts
For fiscal year 2025, the law provides $250,000 for career and technical student groups. It provides $171,000 for Early Learning Training and Assessment and $100,000 for the State Safety and Support Program. It also cuts funding for Dual Immersion, Special Education State Programs, Youth-in-Custody, and Student Health and Counseling Support. The provided schedule does not state the size of those cuts.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
Heidi Balderree
Republican • Senate
Cosponsors
Stephen L. Whyte
Republican • House
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 1/30/2025
House/ passed 3rd reading
Yes: 73 • No: 0
Senate vote • 1/29/2025
Senate/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • 1/29/2025
Senate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
Yes: 25 • No: 0
Senate vote • 1/28/2025
Senate/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • Unknown
Senate/ circled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Senate vote • Unknown
Senate/ uncircled
Yes: 0 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Governor Signed
2/14/2025Senate/ to Governor
2/10/2025SenateSenate/ received enrolled bill from Printing
2/10/2025SenateSenate/ enrolled bill to Printing
2/7/2025SenateEnrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
2/7/2025Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
2/3/2025Bill Received from Senate for Enrolling
1/31/2025Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling
1/31/2025SenateSenate/ received from House
1/31/2025SenateHouse/ to Senate
1/30/2025HouseHouse/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate
1/30/2025HouseHouse/ passed 3rd reading
1/30/2025HouseHouse/ 3rd reading
1/30/2025HouseHouse/ 2nd reading
1/30/2025HouseHouse/ Rules to 3rd Reading Calendar
1/30/2025HouseHouse/ 1st reading (Introduced)
1/30/2025HouseHouse/ received from Senate
1/29/2025HouseSenate/ to House
1/29/2025SenateSenate/ passed 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
1/29/2025SenateSenate/ uncircled
1/29/2025SenateSenate/ circled
1/28/2025SenateSenate/ 2nd & 3rd readings/ suspension
1/28/2025SenateSenate/ lifted from Rules
1/28/2025SenateSenate/ received fiscal note from Fiscal Analyst
1/22/2025SenateSenate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
1/21/2025Senate
Bill Text
Enrolled
2/7/2025
Introduced
1/20/2025