Utah legislative leaders are expected to tout in the coming days that they're boosting public education funding for the 2025-26 school year by nearly a quarter billion dollars or more. However, it's important to understand how much of that increase is mandatory, and how much is discretionary.
Last December, legislative leaders approved a 4% increase in the weighted pupil unit (WPU), the formula determining how much the state spends per student in the public education system. Currently, Utah spends just under $4,500 per student.
The 4% increase, amounting to approximately $180 million, is required under state law to cover inflationary costs to public schools, calculated on a five-year rolling average. Lawmakers are also required to cover the cost of enrollment growth, which adds about $21 million.
Anything above the $200 million approved in December is discretionary.
The Public Education Appropriations subcommittee is recommending a discretionary increase to the WPU of just 1%, which amounts to $43 million.
In contrast, that same subcommittee has recommended increasing funding to Utah's private school voucher program by $40 million.
