HOW DID UTAH GET THE LANDS?
In 1894, Congress granted 11% of all the federally held land in Utah to a trust to support public schools. This grant was not a gift; it was granted in exchange for Utah not taxing the federal lands. The state of Utah accepted the grant along with the obligation to be the trustee. This responsibility imposed fiduciary duties upon the state including undivided loyalties to the beneficiaries, including public schools.
WHO MANAGES THE LAND?
The School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) manages the school trust lands in the most prudent and profitable manner for the schools. The Trust Lands Administration was created in 1994 and is patterned after a corporate business structure. At that time, the agency was separated from other government agencies to eliminate potential conflicts of interest. There are five business groups at SITLA tasked with land management and revenue production. They are the Mining, Oil and Gas, Surface, Renewable Resources and Development groups. The annual revenue from the land, minus expenses to manage the land, is deposited into the permanent State School Fund.
HOW DOES THE TRUST GENERATE MONEY?
Revenues are generated through leases, sales, production of minerals, oil and gas, and real estate development. Revenues from the land are placed in a permanent savings account known as the Permanent State School Fund, which is not spent. The School and Institutional Trust Fund Office invests the money with input from the School and Institutional Trust Fund Board of Trustees. The state treasurer is chair of the board. The investments are balanced to grow the size of the fund and generate interest and dividends to be distributed to our schools. The principal balance is not used, and capital gains are retained and combine with the revenue contribution from the land to contribute to the growth of the fund. The fund grows like an endowment. The interest and dividends are distributed each year to help improve public education.
In 1983, there was only $18 million in the fund that had accumulated in the 87 years since statehood. As of 2020, the balance in the Permanent State School Fund was $2.5 billion. The School LAND Trust program distributed $88 million to Utah's public schools in the 2019-2020 school year.
HOW DOES THE MONEY IMPROVE PUBLIC EDUCATION?
Since September of 2000, the money distributed from the School LAND Trust program goes directly to each public school in Utah on a percentage and then per pupil basis. The school community council (SCC) determines their school’s greatest academic need and prepares a plan to address that need with school’s portion of the money.
HOW DOES MY SCHOOL BENEFIT? HOW MUCH DOES MY SCHOOL GET THIS YEAR?
School plans are public information. You can look up your school's plan and how much your school received at https://schoollandtrust.schools.utah.gov/publicreports
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?
Join your School Community Council (SCC). School Community Councils hold elections annually to fill open seats. Local school boards set election timelines, and council elections may be held in the fall, or in the spring before the last week of school. Contact your school to see when you can join.
As a PTA, you can send a member to SCC meetings (which are public meetings) to keep a cohesive working relationship with your school and SCC.
WHAT DO SCHOOL COMMUNITY COUNCILS DO?
See the pdf attached below for a thorough explanation of the role of the SCC's.
WHAT ABOUT CHARTER SCHOOLS?
Every Charter School is required to have a Charter Trust Land Council. A charter school may choose to use its governing board as the Charter Trust Land Council only if the governing board has a two-person majority of parents or grandparents with children currently enrolled at the school. If the governing board does not meet the requirements, or if the board chooses not to serve as the Charter Trust Land Council, the board should determine election procedures to elect council members who are parents or grandparents of students enrolled at the school. Find more information here https://schools.utah.gov/schoollandtrust/councils
WHAT CAN THE MONEY BE USED FOR?
Learn more about appropriate use of School LAND Trust Program Funds in State code R277-477-4 www.schools.utah.gov/administrativerules
Also see the "Appropriate Expenditures" pdf attached below
HOW CAN I ATTEND TRUST SYSTEM MEETINGS?
Trust Land meetings are public meetings and can be found by searching on the Utah Public Notice website. See the Trust System meeting schedule pdf below.