Public education is atop Democrats' budget priorities
Proposal also focuses on services for the poor and disabled
Democrats announced their budget priorities Monday, only two days before Executive Appropriations Committee begins considering the final budget and on the same day that most appropriation subcommittees finalized their own priorities.
Education topped the Democrats' list with a huge 10 percent increase, or $202 million, financed by an anticipated $1 billion surplus. The money would go to local school districts rather than to specific programs, such as all-day kindergarten or a math and science initiative that were proposed by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.
"We are taking a different approach to how we fund public education," House Minority Leader Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake, said. "Local school districts are in the best position to determine how best to spend that money, so we want to give them more flexibility to best meet their needs."
Services for disabled people, covering increased Medicare costs, and fully funding dental and vision care for Medicaid recipients were also priorities for Democrats.
"We can find the money for these costs," House Minority Whip Pat Jones, D-Salt Lake, said. "It is just a matter of priorities."
The ultimate fate of those proposals, as well as the priorities set by the various appropriations subcommittees, will be decided when the Executive Appropriations Committee, which is comprised of leadership, begins meeting Wednesday.
Among the final priority decisions made by the subcommittees:
Health and Human Services: Restoring funds lost through recent federal budget cuts was the No. 1 priority for committee members, with the request for $19.2 million in ongoing funds and $10.3 million to supplement losses to the current year's budget at the top of the list. But lawmakers expressed heartburn about including the amount on their priority list at all, noting that they have no choice but to replace the lost funds to programs such as Medicaid and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.
Secondly, the committee recommended a $1.6 million allocation to address the nearly 1,900 disabled Utahns waiting for services from the state Division for Services with People for Disabilities. Though well short of the some $8 million advocates had asked for the fully fund the list, Human Services Executive Director Lisa-Michele Church said the money — one of her top priorities for the department — will make a substantial dent on the waiting list.
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