Funding formula: Educators OK with Huntsman's proposal
There are no comments for this page [ Add Comment ]Sunday, December 31, 2006
By Lynze Wardle
and Loretta Park
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
lwardle@standard.net
In January, lawmakers will be faced with a tough decision -- use part of an estimated $1.6 billion state budget surplus to fund education or pass the money along to constituents in the form of tax cuts.
Thanks to dedicated teachers and parents, state legislators say, the quality of education in Utah's public schools is good.
"I don't think you can underestimate the value that teachers and the value that families bring," said outgoing Layton lawmaker Rep. Stuart Adams.
Others, however, including State Rep. Ralph Becker, D-Salt Lake City, House minority leader, believe low teacher salaries and low per-pupil spending are beginning to take their toll on student achievement.
"We are losing ground in a very significant way," Becker said. "We are 51st in the country in per-pupil spending, and the gap between us and the 50th state is widening. It is starting to have a real impact on the quality of education in the state."
In an effort to reverse those trends, Gov. Jon Huntsman and the Utah State Office of Education have asked legislators to use part of the budget surplus for teacher salary increases, full-day kindergarten and class-size reduction.
Utah State Board of Education Chairman Kim Burningham said the No. 1 priority is to provide funding for growth. He said the state board has requested a 10 percent increase in the weighted pupil unit, but he's happy with Huntsman's proposed 7 percent increase.
Vik Arnold, director of government relations and political action with the Utah Education Association, said education needs the same type of priority that transportation has received in the past few years.
Arnold acknowledges that the state has faced a transportation crisis, "but we think we face a crisis in funding for our schools as well."
It has been projected that there will be 140,000 new students within the next 10 years.
"This is not a problem that we think can be solved without making education a priority the same way transportation was a priority," Arnold said.
Economy
Arnold said the good economy is a boost that should be used to help education spending catch up.
"We're hoping for both the governor and the legislators to see the revenue surpluses as a golden opportunity to put in the kind of investment that we think needs to be made," he said.
Ogden Democrat Rep. LaWanna Shurtliff credits teachers for Utah students' good performance in the classroom, but is worried that many educators are leaving for better pay and benefits in neighboring states.
"Right now, there are 68 classrooms (statewide) that have no teachers and are being taught by substitutes," she said.
Shurtliff said that, given the choice, the majority of her constituents would choose public education funding over tax cuts. It's not just the Democrats who want to use the surplus to help schools.
"There is a big group in the Legislature that feels like this is a make-up year for education," said Sen. Gregory Bell, R-Fruit Heights.
"That is what I am hearing from my constituents -- that most of them don't want a tax cut, but want me to vote for significant increases in education and transportation."
The trend?
Bell said students are performing well but that trend is unlikely to continue unless good teachers are given more incentives to stay in the classroom and funding is provided to handle student population growth.
Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace, will be a member of the public education appropriations committee for the upcoming legislative session. He believes there will be a substantial increase in the weighted pupil unit.
He also hopes to see more funding for the state's reading program, especially in kindergarten through third grade.
Dee said legislators have tried over the years to fund education with the money that is available, yet people "tend to look at the glass half-empty."
He's also considering sponsoring a bill that will reduce class sizes, especially in math and science.
But legislators will be reluctant to give more tax dollars to education, Bell said, unless they know the money is being spent well.
More accountability
He said the ongoing case of Susan and John Ross, who face federal charges of embezzling millions of dollars in Title I funds from the Davis School District, has raised awareness of the need for more accountability.
He said the alleged misuse of at least $4.3 million is "just devastating" at a time when many education programs already lack adequate funds.
Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, believes the loss of Title I funds was an isolated incident and said it will not keep lawmakers from increasing state education funding.
Becker said Democrats are looking at ways to increase accountability in school funding, but said recent scandals should not be used as a reason to withhold money from education.
"We have to have strict accountability and enforcement and measures to prevent that from happening again, but that does not excuse a failure to fund education."
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