School Trust
Trust Lands
In 1894, shortly before Utah became a state, Congress created a land trust including one-ninth of the land of the state to support our public schools. Today, schools still have 3.3 million acres scattered around the state. These lands are held by the state as trustee for our public schools. The lands are managed by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA). All net revenue is saved in the permanent State School Fund.
Trust Funds
Under the Utah Enabling Act and the Utah Constitution, all net revenue is saved in the permanent State School Fund, which is currently over $1 billion. Investment of the permanent State School Fund is under the prudent direction of Richard Ellis, State Treasurer. Interest and dividend income is distributed by the School LAND Trust Program through districts and directly to each school. All capital gains are retained in the fund to grow the fund and its impact on schools.
Program
The School LAND Trust program brings tens of millions of dollars annually to academic programs in public schools across Utah. These funds are the only discretionary funds many schools receive. The program runs entirely from this web site. Each school elects a school community council consisting of parents, teachers, and the principal. Councils carefully study their school test scores, decide which areas they want to improve, and develop a School Improvement Plan. From that plan, a council chooses one or more academic areas on which to focus its annual trust dividend from the School LAND Trust program to improve student performance.
Councils set measurable goals with a plan to achieve the goals and submit the plan on-line. Their local school board will approve the plan or may ask for revisions before approval. Funds are only distributed to schools with approved plans.