Gov. Gary Herbert released his proposal for the 2018 fiscal year budget on Wednesday, dedicating most new revenue to public and higher education. The plan includes $260 million for public and higher education. Utah’s K-12 public education system is expected to take in over 10,000 new students in the near future. Herbert said that education remains the top priority of his administration.
“As I mentioned, our number one budget priority is education. We recognize that if we’re going to have continued success economically, we need a labor force that has the skills necessary to compete in what is now a global marketplace,” Herbert said. “We have to have skills that align with the demands of the marketplace. As I’ve mentioned already, 79 percent of all the new money is being put into education, both public and higher education.”
Another focal point of Herbert’s remarks was efficiency in the state government. One of the things that Herbert is not calling for is an increase in taxes to fund the growing education budget. While it may be overlooked, Herbert said that a lot of the money saved has come from trimming the ranks of state employees.
“When we save money, we don’t spend it. It does not necessarily show up in the budget. So, it is of note that we have fewer state employees today. You have to go back to the year 2001 to find a fewer number,” he said. “We’ve reduced the ratio from one state employee for 134 residents to one in 150.”
Herbert’s budget also includes a $1.5 million increase for paying state troopers.
