By Jessie Stuart, Land Trusts Protection & Advocacy Office
Salt Lake City, UTAH–January 5, 2026–The School and Institutional Trust Funds Office (SITFO) announced that the Trust Lands Permanent Funds will distribute a record-breaking $134 million to public schools for the 2026-27 school year, marking a 20% increase from last year’s distribution of $111 million.
The increase reflects strong financial performance from trust land management and the Permanent School Fund investment portfolio, along with the first-year impact of Amendment B, the voter-approved measure that raised the annual distribution cap from 4% to 5%. Without Amendment B, schools would have received an estimated $118 million for the 2026–27 school year rather than $134 million.
Schools will be notified of their School LAND Trust Fund allocations for the 2026–27 school year this week, giving administrators and school community councils a first look at their forthcoming grant. Allocations are made to every public school in the state based on a per-pupil formula.
For Iron County School District, School LAND Trust funding will be $2.7 million, an increase of $416,400 from last year. These funds support academic intervention and innovation, help reduce class sizes, expand access to technology, and enhance professional development.
School LAND Trust funds supplement, rather than replace, traditional school funding sources and provide flexibility for local decisions, recognizing that the needs of one school may differ from another.
“Utah students benefit from a trust system that delivers strong results and protects both current and future beneficiaries,” said Treasurer Marlo Oaks, who chairs the SITFO Board. “Careful land management and prudent investment decisions strengthen schools today and preserve the fund for generations to come.”
School trust funds are generated from trust lands granted at statehood to support public education and other state institutions. Revenue from leases, sales, and development is deposited into the Permanent Funds and invested to provide ongoing support.
In addition to public schools, trust beneficiaries, including higher education and other designated state institutions, are also receiving increased distributions through their respective permanent funds. Since 1994, the combined permanent funds have grown from $50 million to $4.1 billion.
“This marks a significant milestone for Utah’s Trust System and the growing impact on all trust beneficiaries,” said Kim Christy, Director of the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office. “The Trust Lands Administration and SITFO are doing great things to uphold trust principles and sustain maximum performance of the trust assets.”
The Trust Lands Administration (TLA) manages 3.3 million acres of Trust Lands in Utah. Trust Lands are not public lands. Congress allocated Trust Lands specifically to generate revenue to support designated state institutions-primarily public schools. Land revenue produced by (TLA) is invested by the School and Institutional Trust Funds Office (SITFO). The School LAND Trust Office at the Utah State Board of Education distributes Trust Funds to K12 schools and the Land Trusts Protection and Advocacy Office ensures beneficiary interests are maximized by monitoring Trust Land management, and Trust Fund investment and distribution administration.