Orangeville – Cottonwood Elementary in the Emery County School District won the #SITLAfunds17 Instagram Challenge Judges’ Choice Award and a $1000 bonus to their School LAND Trust Funds.
Cottonwood Elementary earned top honors among this year’s participants, which included schools in 18 districts statewide and several charter schools.
Cottonwood Elementary Principal John Hughes submitted the winning photograph, which shows a Reading Theater with students dressed in character, reading before their classmates, practicing fluency and expression, and improving self-confidence and public speaking skills.
The elementary school’s community council allocated this year’s School LAND Trust Funds to hire additional aides to support specialized math and reading programs.
In cooperation with the School Children’s Trust Office at the Utah Office of Education, the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) organized the photo challenge asking K-12 students, parents, teachers, and administrators to show how School LAND Trust Funds are used in their schools. The agencies offer two $1000 prizes annually.
SITLA’s impact on funding Utah’s public education is significant. Emery County School District received $262,834 in School LAND Trust Funds for the current school year, and more than $2.3 million since 2002.
Elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the state received $49.3 million in School LAND Trust Funds this school year, which is interest and dividends from the $2.25 billion Permanent School Fund.
Individual schools use their School LAND Trust funds on projects determined by its School Community Council. This council, which includes parents, teachers, and the principal, identifies and discusses its school’s particular needs and administers the funds accordingly.
Annual distributions from the Permanent School Fund have grown tremendously, from just $8.3 million in fiscal year 2004 to $49.3 million this year. This growth is due to the support of state policymakers, investment returns generated by the newly-formed School and Institutional Trust Funds Office, and more than $1 billion generated by SITLA from development on Utah’s 3.3 million acres of school trust land.