Spectrum Academy warns rule implementation would cut its special‑education add‑on by an estimated $8.2M and imperil planned expansion

Officials from Spectrum Academy told the Utah State Board of Education finance committee that a pending rule (R277‑479) intended to right‑size special‑education add‑on WPUs would deeply affect the high‑prevalence charter if applied to an approved expansion.

Courtney England, Spectrum’s finance director, said that under the rule as written an expanding Spectrum campus would lose the exemption that currently shields the LEA’s high special‑education prevalence rate and would see its special‑education add‑on WPUs fall from roughly 3,564 to about 1,863. “A reduction in add‑on funding of $8,240,600 equates to about a 20 percent reduction in our entire 2028 budget,” England told the committee, saying that salaries and benefits already account for more than 80 percent of Spectrum’s expenses.

Staff clarified the mechanics: the rule phases LEAs toward a target ratio and treats expanding charters differently because expansion counts students under a single December 1 count; that technical distinction triggers a substantially lower WPU calculation for expansion years. Staff told the committee that options include a narrow rule exemption for high‑prevalence charters, a statutory request to the legislature, or delaying expansion approval until policy clarity is achieved.

Committee members asked staff and Spectrum for additional scenarios and recommended the item be returned to the finance committee in May as an action item so the board can consider policy options before expansion timelines proceed.