SALT LAKE CITY — Budget cuts could be coming to state education programs, and it’s had people worried about what could happen next.
With about a day's notice, educators, administrators, parents, and families who want suicide prevention and mental health initiatives, dual immersion, pre-K programs, homeschooling grants, and more, found out that those could all go away.
Because the legislature asked them to look at where the Utah State Board of Education can cut 5 percent of their funding, and reallocate them to different areas.
"It helps them navigate their own thoughts and own feelings and really makes them feel in charge of their own humanity,” said Pamela Gee, program director with Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre.
Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre program director Pamela Gee came to Salt Lake City from Logan to be at Thursday afternoon’s state board of education meeting, even if it did not have public comment.
"It helps them navigate their own thoughts and own feelings and really makes them feel in charge of their own humanity,” said Gee. “And if we don’t inspire that now, while they’re in school, where are they going to get it?”
Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre is one of about 15 professional outreach programs in schools that gives students a chance to learn about the arts for free.
She and others said they found out less than 24 hours before the meeting that the state board was looking at cutting $300 million. That would jeopardize programs like Gee’s. The room was packed with people anxiously wondering if they would lose funding or not.
"I think it was so important because there was no public comment today, to be present, visible and in the room,” said Gee. “Because we’ve reached out, by email, we've made phone calls, and even though we can’t influence any decisions today, we're hearing their intent, if they are listening to us.”
Board member Cindy Davis said those concerns reached members. "Thank you for weighing in, thank you for contacting us, I don’t know a single board member who wasn’t grateful for hearing and listening and learning what our public truly wants in our schools, we’ve appreciated that feedback,” she said.
The dollar amount was finally brought down to around $160 million. But, after almost 5 hours of discussion, members were able to identify about $30 million to recommend cutting. “The decisions that we make here do not necessarily make decisions for the funding,” added board member Davis. “We are just requesting to the legislature to consider our feedback, they make the ultimate decision."
The board voted to recommend cutting approximately $23 million for contracted initiatives and grants, including software licenses for early literacy, special needs opportunity scholarship administration costs, the UPSTART pre-kindergarten program, and Utah Private Course Choice Empowerment. It also included about $6 million or 5 percent from the Utah Fits All Scholarship program.
These recommendations go to the legislative Public Education Appropriations Committee, which meets on January 21. The board may be asked to recommend additional cuts, but ultimately, lawmakers determine how much money is allocated to public education, and the board distributes those funds.
