SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah lawmakers have given early approval to legislation that set up schools to offer additional learning programs for lower-income students.
The Senate Education Committee approved the bill 7-0 on Monday afternoon. It now advances to the full Senate for consideration.
Ogden Republican Sen. Stuart Reid is sponsoring the bill, which he says is targeted to families that have struggled with poverty for several generations.
Reid’s proposal would set aside $5 million in grant money for schools that set up programs offering extra individualized attention to students after school.
Reid says students from impoverished families can start out behind their peers and struggle to keep up in school because of the issues their families face.
