Utah school districts that aren’t transparent about their dues for sports and clubs — or that don’t bring them down to “reasonable levels” — could face new penalties.
The State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to craft and enact a discipline system after it was slammed two months ago in a scathing state audit for not providing oversight and allowing schools to charge students exorbitant fees. “How heavy and how big that hammer is” is still being worked out, said board chairman Mark Huntsman.
“But we need to have something to start with.”
The board gave preliminary approval to a handful of potential consequences for districts that don’t make adjustments, including requiring them to repay “improperly charged” dues, withholding their funding and suspending their right to charge fees at all.
It’s the first big step in addressing the audit and its recommendations. Huntsman said more solutions will be voted on next month. And board members spent much of the hourlong discussion batting around other ideas.
Member Joel Wright suggested cutting extracurricular activities from schools altogether if they’re going to be “taken over by rich…
