Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, noted that all but one of the sections of the school budget bill were agreed to by a group of stakeholders including the state's teachers association, its school administrators association, its school boards association and more. The lone exception: A section declaring a statewide financial emergency, allowing school districts to reopen negotiated contracts. "That section was proposed, not of my desire, not of my vote, but proposed by someone else from across the rotunda and received the necessary votes," Cameron told the Senate. "That section is in the bill, but that is the only piece of this budget that is not a stakeholder agreement."

"Frankly none of us like the reductions that are in the budget, and we all wish and hope that we'll have a better day where we'll have better appropriations," he said. The bill tries to give local school districts as much flexibility as possible, he said, and prioritizes student achievement and student-teacher classroom time. "It is in my opinion the best budget that could potentially come out of the joint committee without additional revenue sources," Cameron said. "Failure of this bill will not generate a higher number, but in fact will generate a lower number for public schools."

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