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Consequence of cuts
Salt Lake Tribune, 09/03/2010
Even if Utah accepts federal money, schools may only see half of it
Deseret News, 09/03/2010
Attorneys say Utah can’t block $101M in school aid
Salt Lake Tribune, 09/02/2010
Utah will get new school testing system
Salt Lake Tribune, 09/02/2010
Tough course
Salt Lake Tribune, 08/31/2010
FAST FACT:
The proportion of Utah public school 4th graders who scored at the highest two levels in reading on national assessment tests increased by 25% between 1998 and 2005.
Don't sacrifice education just to save money
February 08, 2010
John Florez, Deseret News
Don't throw our Utah families under the bus.
These are serious times, and our citizens should expect thoughtful deliberation by legislators about matters affecting our lives, especially education. Let's hope insightful minds will prevail. There is nothing more important to the survival of a free society than an educated citizenry; yet we now see frivolous ideas being thrown around if only to save money. That's like giving half the dose of medicine to a sick child. Lost is the purpose of education and its importance in today's global economy.
When we used to talk about difficult problems, my friend, the late Judge Frank Wilkins, would say, "That calls for big medicine." And that's what is needed to give hope to our children for their future, not shortsighted ideas such as cutting out the 12th grade in our public education or cutting school bus service. These ideas have serious consequences and should not be seen as "out-of-the-box ideas," but for what they are: political whims.
Our lawmakers ought to make decisions based on values and principles, rather than political posturing. Lawmakers talk about children, families, local control, upholding the Constitution and against big government, yet do the opposite when it comes to how they conduct their business; they want to dictate how the State School Board should carry out its constitutional responsibility, how local school boards should run their schools, and even how to get children to and from school. So much for local control.
It's true times have changed and so must our public institutions to keep up with change; however, policymakers should first understand how our environment has changed and how to renew it to solve today's problems in keeping with our values. How many lawmakers have taken the time to see the creative things now taking place in our school districts and the challenges our families face in today's economy? Do they know that students already can and do shorten their stay in school and go on to higher education; that more parents are having trouble making ends meet and have to rely on school buses to get their children to school; that students have to wait in long lines each month to get Utah Transit Authority passes? And while there is talk about UTA taking over school busing to save money, it would create a larger bureaucracy and the busing of children would be lost in the shuffle. Our children must be a priority, not an afterthought.
Legislators complain about school boards keeping poor teachers, yet are now considering extending the probationary status of teachers from three to five years. Why not let local school boards manage their own personnel and be held accountable for assuring students have a quality teacher? Lawmakers ought to stick to doing what they are supposed to do: policymaking and conducting oversight of our government institutions. That's their fiduciary responsibility.
Often it is not more laws that are needed, but clear articulation of public policies, then the will to monitor them to make sure they are carried out by administrators as intended. That is what our public education institutions need, not the idea du jour of any rogue legislator who happens to come up with a quick fix to save money. What if we asked lawmakers to write a term paper on "What is the purpose of education?" With clear expectations and outcomes, we might just start getting better results out of our education system.
It's not only about saving money; rather, it's about being clear on what we want to do with it, and how legislators are being good stewards of our public institutions. If they aren't, who will be?
A Utah native, John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights organizations; been on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch, served on more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards; and filled White House appointments, including deputy assistant secretary of labor and as a member of the commission on Hispanic education. E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net.
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Source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700007946/Dont-sacrifice-education-just-to-save-money.html