I'm proposing that we bite the bullet, step up, put our money where our mouth is, put up or shut up, whatever catch phrase you want to employ, and seriously take a look at where we want to be. – Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan
SALT LAKE CITY — Monday morning, parents will wrap their children in coats and gloves and send them to thousands of classrooms across the state with the hopeful promise of a better future if they pay attention.
On Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City, the 2015 legislative session also begins Monday morning, and paying attention to its performance could make all the difference for Utah families.
This year's edition could change the way teachers prepare for class and how parents support their children in school. Increased emphasis on math and STEM programs could alter the way a child spends four years of high school. Tax proposals could cost families hundreds of dollars more at home, but could bring benefits to the classroom. And one proposal would give parents a fund to pay for specific learning opportunities for their child.
"I think families need to recognize they're principal partners in the education of their children," said Steve Laing, clinical associate professor at Utah State University and former state superintendent of public instruction. "Since they are constituents of their legislators, they should establish a connection with that legislator and be involved in the societal efforts affecting the education of their students."
Enrollment in Utah's K-12 schools has increased by more than 110,000 students in the past 10 years, and accommodating future growth is an ongoing funding priority for lawmakers and educators.
In his budget proposal for the 2016 fiscal year, Gov. Gary Herbert designated $58 million to account for a projected enrollment increase of 8,000 new students. That was part of $500 million in proposed new funds for education, funded in part by $638 million in new money from tax revenue growth and surplus funds.
Herbert also included $56 million for buildings, technology and infrastructure, $1.5 million for school counseling, and $2.4 million for UtahFutures, a state college and career preparation website. The proposal emphasizes local control and allocation of the funds through the weighted pupil unit count, or WPU, a tool for measuring the cost of educating each student.
The governor's proposal was met with approval from educators but also criticism from some legislators, who say such a large boost for education is unrealistic because it draws on funds already earmarked for transportation.
"It's nice, but that money came from restricted funds that are not, under current law, able to be used for education," said Rep. Steven Eliason, R-Sandy, House chairman of the public education appropriation subcommittee.
While he doesn't completely agree with the governor's funding plan, Eliason said a fundamental priority will be accommodating growth in student enrollment.
"At a minimum, we need to fund growth and would like to also have an increase to the WPU to keep up with inflation," he said. "However, given some of the surpluses that have been identified, hopefully we can increase some of the funding a bit more than usual."
Surplus funds could bring technology like tablets into student hands, and salary raises for teachers, but it's still unclear how much education leaders will have to work with, said David Crandall, chairman of the Utah State Board of Education.
"I don't know what's more difficult to deal with: Too much money or too little," Crandall said. "We've had too little with the recession over the last few years, although that's turned around. It's projected we'll have additional revenues this year, but everybody's clamoring for it."
Laing said parents should look to their local school districts to watch and influence how school board members decide to spend state dollars, as that is how individual students will be most affected.
"They need to be involved in those decision-making processes and watch them so they understand what is being provided, how the money's being used to benefit their students and how they can partner with those school efforts to maximize the impact intended for their students to learn more efficiently," Laing said.
Tax changes
Also on the table is a bill that proposes to increase the personal state income tax from 5 percent to 6 percent, bringing in an additional $585 million for education. HB54 would allocate 75 percent of the funds to performance-based salary raises for teachers, with the other 25 percent put toward technology training and implementation programs.
For an individual taxpayer, the bill would mean a median tax change of $280 per year. A homeowning family of four would have to pay an additional $575, and a family of six would pay $660. A homeowning married couple 70 years old or older would pay $530.
In a poll released this month by Utah State University and The Exoro Group, 82 percent of respondents rated investing in K-12 public education at or near the top of their priority list, with 70 percent strongly in favor of focusing on career readiness for high school seniors.
The majority of voters — 59 percent — said they favored a 1 percent tax increase for education, but that approval dropped by 8 percent when respondents learned it would cost families an extra $575 each year.
Bill sponsor Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan, said HB54 is "not a trial balloon." He said it would help address the disparity in national rankings between Utah's economy and its education system.
"We have kind of danced around this for a long time," Draxler said at a Utah Taxpayers Association prelegislative conference earlier this month. "I'm proposing that we bite the bullet, step up, put our money where our mouth is, put up or shut up, whatever catch phrase you want to employ, and seriously take a look at where we want to be."
House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said it's unclear how HB54 will fare, but he said lawmakers will give the bill "its best look."
"It's on the table as far as being part of our process and our legislative session," Hughes said. "How it passes, if it passes, that remains to be seen."
Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, is sponsoring a bill he says will address "the Robbin Hood effect" of property tax equalization, or taking from one school district to provide for another.
The bill would adjust the minimum basic property tax rate over a five-year period to generate new state revenue as property values go up. That revenue would be used to equalize local tax levies and set aside funds for enrollment growth and capital expansion.
Another bill proposes to appropriate 30 percent of growth in income tax revenue for school districts that fall the furthest from having the funds they need.
Osmond said tax revenue inequity is a "significant challenge" for some districts in meeting their local funding needs.
"Those are going to be probably some of the most hotly debated bills when it comes to education funding," Osmond said when he met with members of the state school board this month.
Rep. Brian Greene, R-Pleasant Grove, is sponsoring a bill that would create a pilot program for junior high and high school students that would redirect state education funding into an individual account for each student instead of going to the student's resident school district. The accounts would be controlled by the state, but parents would decide how to use the money in paying for their child's nontraditional classes.
That includes charter school, online and college courses, as well as class materials. The pilot program, based mostly on HB123 that didn't pass in 2012, would involve 1,000 students statewide and distribute about $6 million.
Prioritizing STEM
Some legislators and educators have long been pushing to bring more technology into the classroom. During the past two years, the State School Board has asked the state for $50 million to begin one-to-one technology programs. Last year, lawmakers denied a $25 million request from the late former House Speaker Becky Lockhart to implement one-to-one technology programs.
But it's an issue the Legislature will hear again this year.
"I believe this year we have a bill that will work," Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said to members of the State School Board earlier this month.
The board is again requesting $50 million in one-time funds to begin the program, with $25 million in ongoing funds.
"That's probably the biggest new item that we'll be looking at as far as the board priorities are concerned," Crandall said.
Stephenson's bill would provide incentives for schools to implement technology programs, with the goal of eventually having a device for each student. Base funding will also be given to each school district, as well as money amounts dependent on student enrollment.
"We want to make sure it's driven by districts, but that we're providing some assistance to do that," Crandall said.
Part of the initiative involves training for teachers in using the devices to enhance learning through coursework and interactive activities.
"There's a lot of promise with what technology can do, but not if it's not implemented well," said Diana Suddreth, teaching and learning coordinator for the Utah State Office of Education. "Professional development is how teachers learn how to do that."
Technology programs will reduce crowding in school computer labs, giving students more time in the classroom before having to take SAGE, Utah's annual computer-adaptive assessment. Educators hope that extra time will help improve student scores on SAGE.
Hughes cited current successes with technology initiatives in places such as the Wasatch School District, which implemented its own one-to-one program in 2011. Devices are also provided for teachers, giving them resources to better monitor their students' progress.
"I think that through technology, educators can get real-time input about what their students understand and what they're doing," Hughes said. "Instead of having teachers be data entry people at night at a kitchen table grading papers, they can really start letting the technology do some of the data entry stuff while they are focusing more on the delivery of education."
Concurrent with technology implementation is an ongoing effort to enhance science, technology, engineering and math coursework. Lawmakers and education leaders are looking for ways to respond to demand from businesses in Utah for more graduates qualified in STEM fields.
Eliason is sponsoring a resolution recommending the State School Board require high schoolers to take a math course in each year of high school. Giving students more time in math classes will help improve student performance on the ACT, which show 60 percent of students below proficient in math, he said.
The requirement would also reduce the need for college remediation courses, which charge students tuition but don't count toward graduation. Improved performance in math will likely lead to advancement in other STEM fields, Eliason said.
"We have so many unfilled jobs in our state in science and technology type of fields that it's just kind of tragic that some students are so ill-prepared for the modern economy," he said.
A poll released last month by Dan Jones & Associates illustrated the needs of local businesses calling for a workforce well-trained in STEM and soft skills, such as communication and analytical thinking. Almost 90 percent of employers surveyed said recent graduates lack necessary oral and written communication skills, and 81 percent of businesses weren't satisfied with critical thinking skills of prospective employees.
Another resolution would seek to prepare students for community citizenship by requiring them to pass an immigration and naturalization test before they can graduate from high school. Students would have to achieve the same passing score as that for immigrants, which is 60 percent.
"We want to make sure we keep a balanced approach to educating our students so when they come out, they're both capable, but most importantly, they're capable of continuing to learn," Laing said.
Accountability
Utah's education leaders are using SAGE and other technology-driven measurements, such as the school grading system and the governor's PACE report card, to increase transparency and accountability in the classroom.
"There's no question that accountability has received a significant increase in focus," Laing said. "With the accountability, there needs to be a way for teachers to remain professionally current."
Osmond is sponsoring a bill that would appropriate $10 million for a loan-to-grant program for teachers to become National Board certified. The National Board is a nongovernmental organization that recognizes teachers for high standards of instruction.
The National Board Certification Scholarships for Teachers program would loan Utah teachers the amount needed to enroll in the certification. If they successfully complete the training, the loan would be forgiven. If they don't complete it, teachers would have to pay back the loan in five years.
Only 244 teachers in the state hold the certification, but the bill would secure enough funding for 3,000 teachers to earn it. The bill is still being drafted, and it's unclear whether completing the program would be tied to compensation increases, according to Suddreth, who oversees the state's teaching and learning program.
She said having more National Board certified teachers would lead to a more responsive education system and a stronger focus on student achievement.
"It just takes it to another level," Suddreth said. "And then we would hope that the result of that would be higher student achievement."
Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche
Email: mjacobsen@deseretnews.com
Twitter: MorganEJacobsen