Utah Bill Aims to Help Schools in Fastest-Growing Areas

Proposed legislation would create a special fund to support land acquisition and infrastructure needs for school districts facing rapid population growth.

Feb. 7, 2026 at 8:47am

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A bill and funding request in the Utah State Legislature, sponsored by Sen. Emily Buss, aims to provide financial assistance to school districts in some of the state's fastest-growing communities, such as Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Tooele, Brigham City, and Cedar City. The proposed $15 million high-growth fund would help these districts cover the costs of land acquisition for new classrooms and infrastructure like buses, as they struggle to keep up with the unprecedented pace of residential development.

Why it matters

Utah's rapid population growth, especially in certain regions, is putting a significant strain on local school districts that are unable to generate enough funding through property taxes and other means to build new facilities and expand capacity to meet the demand. This proposed legislation seeks to address this challenge by providing targeted state support to the hardest-hit districts.

The details

Senate Bill 189, sponsored by Sen. Emily Buss, would create a special fund to help school districts in high-growth areas acquire land and build necessary infrastructure like classrooms and buses. The bill has received unanimous approval from the Senate Education Committee and is now headed to the full Senate for consideration. The $15 million funding request for the high-growth fund has also been welcomed by Sen. Heidi Balderree, who chairs the legislature's Public Education Appropriations Committee, as her community of Saratoga Springs is expected to soon open a new high school that will already be at capacity due to the rapid population expansion.

  • The bill, SB189, was introduced in the 2026 Utah State Legislative session.
  • The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved the bill in early 2026.

The players

Sen. Emily Buss

The sponsor of SB189, which would create a special fund to help school districts in Utah's fastest-growing areas.

Julie King

The president of the newly-formed Lake Mountain School District Board of Education, which is facing unprecedented growth of 230-250% over 30 years in communities like Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain.

Sen. Heidi Balderree

The chair of the Utah legislature's Public Education Appropriations Committee, who represents the fast-growing city of Saratoga Springs.

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What they’re saying

“In Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain... we're anticipating between 230 to 250% growth over a 30 year period. It's just really unprecedented. Because school districts cannot charge impact fees, schools are infrastructure, we're just seeing a significant gap in the amount of funding we can get to actually provide support and building so we can provide quality education for our students.”

— Julie King, President, Lake Mountain School District Board of Education (fox13now.com)

“School districts with a high amount of growth taking on that burden of the new housing developments can have a little bit of support to just not be so overcrowded.”

— Sen. Emily Buss (fox13now.com)

“Really, we're solving a statewide housing shortage. So this is a statewide issue, it deserves statewide support.”

— Julie King, President, Lake Mountain School District Board of Education (fox13now.com)

“Something's gotta change. The growth is unprecedented and I think my city alone, Saratoga Springs, 10% of the state's growth is in my city.”

— Sen. Heidi Balderree, Chair, Utah Legislature's Public Education Appropriations Committee (fox13now.com)

What’s next

The bill, SB189, now heads to the full Utah Senate for consideration after receiving unanimous approval from the Senate Education Committee.

The takeaway

This proposed legislation highlights the significant challenges facing school districts in Utah's fastest-growing regions, where rapid residential development is outpacing the ability of local districts to build new facilities and expand capacity. The $15 million high-growth fund could provide critical support to help these districts keep up with the unprecedented pace of population growth and ensure they can continue to provide quality education to students.