If a family moves from Draper to Riverton, the money spent by public schools to educate each of their children drops by roughly $1,200, Sen. Lincoln Fillmore, R-South Jordan, said Thursday.
The Senate voted 20-6 to advance SB145, sponsored by Fillmore, which would set aside $36 million from the state Education Fund to create a funding floor for the state’s most cash-strapped schools.
At issue is the ability of school districts to raise money through local property taxes. While state education funding is distributed on an equal, per-student basis, school coffers are supplemented by local revenue that varies depending on the demographic, geographic and economic profile of a particular area.