New figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau show a significant increase in poor children in all of Utah's 41 school districts, with the rate more than doubling in Wayne and Daggett.
The 1997 population and poverty estimates also reveal a widening gap between the state's richest and poorest districts.
In San Juan, 29.4 percent of children ages 5-17 were under the poverty line; in Park City, just 3.9 percent were. That's a divide of 25.5 percentage points, up from 23 percentage points in 1995 when the first estimates were published.
The Census Bureau stressed that while the estimates are reasonably accurate for districts with populations greater than 40,000, there are potentially large errors for smaller districts.
Despite the limitations, however, the secretaries of Education and Commerce said the data for the nation's 15,000 school districts were reliable enough to use to allocate funds for disadvantaged children under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Paul Siegel, spokesman for the Census Bureau, said Utah's overall child-poverty rate was driving the increases in districts. That rate jumped from 7.7 percent in 1995 to 10.5 percent in 1997.
Despite the rise, however, the figure is still significantly lower than the national average, which was virtually unchanged at 18.4 in 1997, compared to 18.7 in 1995.
Children in a family of four that earns less than $16,400 per year are considered poor.
Figures for Utah's smallest districts jumped the most during the two-year period, probably due to the difficulty of compiling accurate data for such tiny populations.
Daggett School District, in the state's northeastern corner, was the smallest in Utah. It had a 1997 population of 722, including 165 school-aged children. Its child-poverty rate soared from 6 percent in 1995 to 13.3 percent in 1997, according to the estimates.
Southern Utah's Wayne School District, which has a population of 2,358, also saw its child-poverty rate rise drastically, from 9.9 percent to 19.6 percent.
"The problem is that if I knew it was a goofy number I'd just say that," Siegel said. "What I am really certain of is that I don't know very much about that district."
The San Juan district, which incorporates the Navajo reservation, tops the list with the most poor kids in Utah. The Piute district follows with 21.7 percent of its children under the poverty line.
Grand, Ogden and Duchesne are close behind with 21.3, 21.2 and 20.4 percent child-poverty rates, respectively.
Granite School district, the state's largest with 82,178 students, has an estimated child-poverty rate of 10.2 percent.
With the additional poor children in Utah, districts will receive a larger share of a proposed $8.7 billion that the Education Department plans to hand out to help needy kids during the 2001-02 school year.
Congress hopes to pass legislation appropriating the funds before the end of the year. With the holidays approaching the bill could slide to the next session.
The $8.7 billion is 9.5 percent more than last year. But because each district is expected to receive at least what it got last year, increases will not be proportional to the number of extra poor kids.