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Governor expected to call for school funds in State of State

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Published Online: January 27, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gov. Gary Herbert is expected to ask Utah lawmakers to increase public education funding and strip away earmarks in the state budget when he gives his annual State of the State speech Wednesday night.

Both were priorities that the Republican governor asked lawmakers to consider in his speech last year and in his latest budget proposal released in December.

Herbert and legislators cite public education funding as one of their biggest priorities, but they sometimes disagree on how much to send to schools.

Lawmakers will set the budget during their annual session, which started this week and runs through mid-March. The budget then moves to Herbert for approval.

The governor has proposed spending an extra $422 million on education that would go toward boosting teacher pay, covering the cost of growing enrollment and giving higher education workers a pay raise.

Another key part of the governor’s wish list is a request that lawmakers scrutinize earmarks that automatically sweep money toward projects like roads, making it unavailable for schools or other needs.

Herbert has said that while transportation and other projects that receive the automatic money are important, lawmakers need to be able to weigh them against other demands.

For example, the state’s general budget fund is expected to grow by about $180 million this year, but $77 million of that will be automatically taken off the table as lawmakers set their budget.

Supporters of the earmarks argue they give the state a cushion in tight budget years and ensure that vital government operations such as maintaining roads are still taken care of.

Herbert has proposed lawmakers start by stripping away $10 million in earmarks this year to instead spend on an early intervention program such as full-day kindergarten for at-risk kids.

The governor will deliver the address in Utah’s House chamber around 6:30 p.m.

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