01-13 16:26 H.B. 184
1
School Trust Land Amendments
2025 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Tracy J. Miller
2
3
LONG TITLE
4
General Description:
5
This bill streamlines the School LAND Trust Program by shifting responsibilities and
6
improving transparency.
7
Highlighted Provisions:
8
This bill:
9
▸ clarifies action plans and the implementation of action plans;
10
▸ adds a requirement to train on the Open and Public Meetings Act;
11
▸ expands the list of entities to receive training on the School LAND Trust Program;
12
▸ refines the process for reviewing school compliance with the program;
13
▸ adds new responsibilities for the state superintendent; and
14
▸ makes technical changes.
15
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
16
None
17
Other Special Clauses:
18
This bill provides a special effective date.
19
Utah Code Sections Affected:
20
AMENDS:
21
53G-7-1206, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapter 20
22
23
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
24
Section 1. Section 53G-7-1206 is amended to read:
25
53G-7-1206 . School LAND Trust Program.
26
(1) As used in this section:
27
(a) "Charter trust land council" means a council established by a charter school
28
governing board under Section 53G-7-1205.
29
(b) "Council" means a school community council or a charter trust land council.
30
(c) "LAND trust plan" means a school's plan to use School LAND Trust Program money
31
to implement a component of the school's success plan. H.B. 184 01-13 16:26
32
(d) "School community council" means a council established at a district school in
33
accordance with Section 53G-7-1202.
34
(e) "Teacher and student success plan" or "success plan" means the same as that term is
35
defined in Section 53G-7-1301.
36
(2) This section creates the School LAND (Learning And Nurturing Development) Trust
37
Program under the state board to:
38
(a) provide financial resources to public schools to enhance or improve student academic
39
achievement and implement a component of a district school or charter school's
40
teacher and student success plan; and
41
(b) involve parents of a school's students in decision making regarding the expenditure
42
of School LAND Trust Program money allocated to the school.
43
(3) To receive an allocation under Section 53F-2-404:
44
(a) a district school shall have established a school community council in accordance
45
with Section 53G-7-1202;
46
(b) a charter school shall have established a charter trust land council in accordance with
47
Section 53G-7-1205; and
48
(c) the school's principal shall provide a signed, written assurance that the school is in
49
compliance with Subsection (3)(a) or (b).
50
(4)(a) A council shall create a program to use the school's allocation distributed under
51
Section 53F-2-404 to implement a component of the school's success plan, including:
52
(i) the school's identified most critical academic needs;
53
(ii) a recommended[ course of] action plan to meet the identified academic needs;
54
(iii) a specific listing of any programs, practices, materials, or equipment that the
55
school will need to implement [a component of the school's success plan] the
56
action plan to have a direct impact on the instruction of students and result in
57
measurable increased student performance; and
58
(iv) how [the school intends to spend the school's allocation of funds under this
59
section] each proposed expenditure in the action plan will be used to implement a
60
component of the action plan to enhance or improve academic excellence at the
61
school.
62
(b)(i) A council shall create and vote to adopt a LAND trust plan in a meeting of the
63
council at which a quorum is present.
64
(ii) If a majority of the quorum votes to adopt a LAND trust plan, the LAND trust
65
plan is adopted.
- 2 - 01-13 16:26 H.B. 184
66
(c) A council shall:
67
(i) post a LAND trust plan that is adopted in accordance with Subsection (4)(b) on
68
the School LAND Trust Program reporting website; and
69
(ii) include with the LAND trust plan a report noting the number of council members
70
who voted for or against the approval of the LAND trust plan and the number of
71
council members who were absent for the vote.
72
(d)(i) The local school board of a district school shall approve or disapprove a
73
LAND trust plan.
74
(ii) If a local school board disapproves a LAND trust plan:
75
(A) the local school board shall provide a written explanation of why the LAND
76
trust plan was disapproved and request the school community council who
77
submitted the LAND trust plan to revise the LAND trust plan; and
78
(B) the school community council shall submit a revised LAND trust plan in
79
response to a local school board's request under Subsection (4)(d)(ii)(A).
80
(iii) Once a LAND trust plan has been approved by a local school board, a school
81
community council may amend the LAND trust plan, subject to a majority vote of
82
the school community council and local school board approval.
83
(e) A charter trust land council's LAND trust plan is subject to approval by the:
84
(i) charter school governing board; and
85
(ii) budget officer whom the charter school governing board appoints.
86
(5)(a) A district school or charter school shall:
87
(i) implement the program as approved;
88
(ii) provide ongoing support for the council's [program] plan and responsibilities; and
89
(iii) meet state board reporting requirements regarding financial and performance
90
accountability of the program.
91
(b)(i) A district school or charter school shall prepare and post an annual report of
92
the program on the School LAND Trust Program reporting website before the
93
council submits a plan for the following year.
94
(ii) The report shall detail the use of program funds received by the school under this
95
section and an assessment of the results obtained from the use of the funds.
96
(iii) A summary of the report shall be provided to parents of students who attend the
97
school.
98
(6) An LEA shall record the LEA's expenditures of School LAND Trust Program funds
99
through a financial reporting system that the board identifies to assist schools in
- 3 - H.B. 184 01-13 16:26
100
developing the annual report described in Subsection (5)(b).
101
(7) The president or chair of a local school board or charter school governing board shall
102
ensure that the members of the local school board or charter school governing board are
103
provided with annual training on the requirements of this section.
104
(8)(a) The state board shall provide annual training opportunities to the entities
105
described in Subsection (8)(b) on:
106
(i) the School LAND Trust Program;[ and]
107
(ii)[(A)] the responsibilities and formation of:
108
(A) a school community council consistent with Section 53G-7-1202; or
109
(B) a charter trust land council[.] consistent with Section 53G-7-1205; and
110
(iii) as applicable, council responsibilities as described in Section 53G-7-1203.
111
(b) The state board shall provide the training to:
112
(i) a local school board or a charter school governing board;
113
(ii) a district business administrator or a charter business official;
114
[(ii)] (iii) a school district or a charter school; and
115
[(iii)] (iv) a school community council.
116
(9) The state board shall annually review [each] a school's compliance with applicable law,
117
including rules adopted by the state board in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
118
Administrative Rulemaking Act, by:
119
(a) reading each School LAND [trust] Trust Program plan submitted;[ and]
120
(b) reviewing proposed expenditures to be made from School LAND Trust Program
121
money[.] ; and
122
(c) conducting an annual compliance review of an LEA using a sample of schools.
123
(10) The superintendent shall calculate and initiate the annual School LAND Trust
124
distribution to schools through the state board's finance system to each LEA as outlined
125
in Section 53F-2-404.
126
(11) The superintendent shall administer the School LAND Trust website to provide
127
transparency and accountability to school communities and the public of School LAND
128
Trust plans, reports, and expenditures of trust distributions.
129
[(10)] (12) The state board shall designate a staff member who administers the School
130
LAND Trust Program[:]
131
[(a)] to serve as a member of the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Committee
132
created under Section 53D-2-202[; and] .
133
[(b) who may coordinate with the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office director,
- 4 - 01-13 16:26 H.B. 184
134
appointed under Section 53D-2-203, to attend meetings or events within the School
135
and Institutional Trust System, as defined in Section 53D-2-102, that relate to the
136
School LAND Trust Program.]
137
Section 2. Effective date.
138
This bill takes effect on July 1, 2025.
- 5 -