Community Council

Every school community council develops a plan that is designed to address the school’s greatest academic need(s).  The plan should describe specific, measurable goals the council has set for student achievement, planned expenditures, and how progress will be measured.  The school community council will also submit a progress report in the spring, as the plan is being implemented, and a final report after the school year ends and financial records are entered.

Enoch Elementary’s current year plan, progress plan (if available), and previous years final reports are available on the School Land Trust Program Plan webpage.

What is Utah Trust Lands?

Starting in 1785, the Founding Fathers created a plan whereby territories were granted land before statehood to support schools. 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. If these scattered parcels were combined, it would make a parcel of land about the size of the state of Connecticut. These lands are held by the state as trustee for our public schools, which are the beneficiaries (or those that benefit from the proceeds from the trust). The lands are managed by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA). All net revenue is saved in the permanent State School Fund, which is now over $1 billion. Since 1995, when SITLA was created by the legislature, net revenue has increased from $15 million to about $80 million annually through prudent and profitable management of the lands.

What are Trust Funds?

The Utah Enabling Act required the establishment of a permanent school fund. All net proceeds of the trust lands are deposited in the fund. Like an endowment, the principle is never spent; only the interest and dividends are distributed to support public schools. The capital gains are reinvested to grow the fund and its impact on students. The permanent State School Fund has grown from $18 million (1983) to over $1.3 billion (2012) because of the involvement of the education community, the subsequent support of the legislature, increasing revenues coming from the land and the prudent investment of the fund. The Utah Constitution guarantees this fund against loss or diversion.

How the Program works…

Each school elects a school community council consisting of parents, teachers and the principal. Charter schools are not required to have a council but instead have trust land committees that make decisions about the School LAND Trust Program. LAND stands for Learning And Nurturing Development.  Your council or committee prepares a plan that identifies the school’s greatest academic need(s). Plans are submitted on the Utah Trust Lands website. The plans are approved by local school boards for implementation the following school year. Your council or committee receives an annual dividend from the permanent State School Fund every July to implement your school’s approved plan during the next school year.

(This information regarding School Land Trust was taken directly from the Utah Trust Lands website.)