New library books, funding for concurrent enrollment and more money for charter schools are among the initial priorities set Monday for the public education budget -- but there's still a long way to go before the dollars can be counted.

The Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee ranked about $115 million in requests for new or expanded programs. The rankings, however, are only the beginning of the budget process.

"Are there going to be changesfi Yes," said Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem. The rankings from this and other appropriations subcommittees proceed now to the state Legislature's Executive Appropriations Committee, which prepares the state budget.

The state may have a budget surplus of as much as $1 billion for the next budget year. Far from being giddy about the gobs of cash, however, lawmakers have cautioned that the state has a long list of expensive infrastructure needs -- and they've placed a high priority on cutting taxes.

Legislators are also waiting for updated budget forecasts that are due around the middle of this month. That report is expected to give lawmakers a better idea of how much money is available in each spending category.

In K-12 education, one item left undefined for now -- and it's a biggie -- is what's known as the "weighted pupil unit," a large state expenditure for public education.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has called for a $109.9 million hike in per-pupil spending.

The caucuses in each chamber will hash out a position on that, said Rep. Gordon Snow, R-Roosevelt. Committee members also noted that discussions in other areas -- including tax cuts and spending on highways and new buildings -- will affect the WPU.

"Anything we would do there is a wish," said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper and co-chairman of the education spending subcommittee. The Executive Appropriations Committee "has traditionally set that."

In the meantime, the subcommittee has signaled where it thinks some education dollars should go.

The list includes $4 million for new library books for schools, $2.3 million to bolster concurrent enrollment programs and $7 million to phase in all-day kindergarten programs for students considered at-risk. Legislators also signaled support for steering more money to pupil transportation, teacher supplies and a math initiative that would offer training to teachers.

They balked, however, at endorsing a $37.5 million expenditure aimed at adding more than 800 teachers across Utah and reducing K-3 class sizes to 20 students or less.

"I know that sounds like an outrageous proposal. It's a lot of money," said Rep. Karen Morgan, D-Salt Lake City, in proposing to add the expenditure to the priority list. "I don't think there's any issue I hear about more often than classroom sizes."

Only the committee's four Democrats voted for the funding. The vote was the same in shooting down a $2.5 million expenditure for a K-3 reading improvement program.

Committee members voted unanimously, however, to add another Huntsman priority to the list -- all-day kindergarten at schools where students are most likely to enter without the basic skills to start learning.

"The data that has come from those districts that have all-day kindergarten is incredible," said state Sen. Karen Hale, D-Salt Lake City. "I just think we can't pass this opportunity up."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A2.