Rural School Funding Amendments

Created the Rural School Sports Facilities Grant Program to fund construction or refurbishment of sports facilities in rural public schools

Requires the Utah State Board of Education to administer the new grant program

Allows local education agencies to apply for funds from the new grant program

Requires the state board to report on the program upon request

Added new reporting requirements to Section 53E-1-201, including various annual and occasional reports from different state boards and agencies

Amended Section 53F-9-204 with additional reporting requirements related to the new grant program

Changed eligibility criteria to require that eligible schools be located within a school district rather than just within a county, adding the phrase 'within a school district' to the definition of eligible school.

Added specific appropriation of $4,390,000 for fiscal year 2026 in the Long Title section, which was missing from the introduced version.

Established a maximum grant award of up to $500,000 per eligible school under Subsection (6).

Changed Senate Sponsor from 'LONG TITLE' to 'David P. Hinkins' in the enrolled version.

Updated formatting and line breaks throughout the document to match standard enrolled copy formatting conventions.

Added requirement that the state board make rules for the application process, selection criteria, and fund distribution system under Subsection (3)(a).

Added requirement that school districts submit annual reports during construction detailing fund usage, budget updates, and project progress.