Until last year, it didn't cost the Uintah School District anything to have the 50 students who fill Charlie Davis' classes each trimester spend an hour each school day learning employable skills like how to read blueprints and wire light fixtures. The district still received the Weighted Pupil Unit funds from the state for each kid, even though they weren't in a district classroom.That changed during the 2011 legislative session. Citing concerns raised in an audit about "double-dipping," lawmakers passed a budget bill that took WPU funds away from districts if students left campus to attend classes at Utah Applied Technology College campuses.
School superintendents from around Utah said the changes cut an estimated $4.1 million statewide from their 2011-12 budgets. The Davis School District has been hit hardest — $643,406 lost this year. Another 24 districts and eight charter schools are also being affected. Deseret News
