Education facing the budget axe

It's bad enough that Utah Legislators are attempting to destroy the public educational system in the state. Along with bills that want to transfer control from the State Board over to the Legilators or the Governor (depending on which bill), the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee has proposed a total of $257 million dollars to education … Continue reading Education facing the budget axe

The Solution to Funding Education: School Bus Ads

Utah is last in the nation in per pupil spending and at the top of the list in class sizes. Yet legislators in Utah continually find ways to under fund and cut spending for the education of our state’s children.Rep. Jim Bird, R-West Jordan, will be introducing a bill (again) to allow advertising on school … Continue reading The Solution to Funding Education: School Bus Ads

Still We Rise

The last day of the Utah Legislature for 2010 saw a rally by students called “Still We Rise”, a group of activists, students and community members which unveiled a “Student Bill of Rights.” (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune)Rally Statement:“We the Communities take back the power to declare our inalienable rights that have been … Continue reading Still We Rise

Education: Everyone’s “bag”

Education is always a hot topic in the Legislature and this year is no exception. Issues such as how to keep our students safe, how to best educate them with the funding provided, what and what not to teach them, class size…..the list is overwhelming. The education of our children is and should be high … Continue reading Education: Everyone’s “bag”

Why Stop At 12th Grade? Just Do Away With Education All Together!

The proposal to to cut out the 12th grade to save $60 million in Utah’s Budget has generated much commentary in the blogosphere.Over at the Jonathan Turley Blog, an interesting (tongue in cheek) concept has been presented as a result of Sen. Chris Buttars’ proposal :It is not clear why legislators have decided to keep … Continue reading Why Stop At 12th Grade? Just Do Away With Education All Together!

Educating our youth on birth control – sensibly

(cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)Sen. Stephen Urquhart, R-St. George is working on a bill that would, if passed, required schools to incorporate instruction about contraceptives in health education courses.According to a Salt Lake Tribune Poll, citizens are evenly divided on the issue.Urquhart said the poll results don’t surprise him, but he hopes that once people understand … Continue reading Educating our youth on birth control – sensibly

Considering public school transportation in the budget debate

(cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)Utah Policy editors have published a piece on options for transportation of school children. Currently, the Salt Lake City School District uses Utah Transit Authority for some of its school transportation needs. Many private schools also rely on UTA for student transportation.Today, UTA bus routes obviously aren’t maximized for school needs. … Continue reading Considering public school transportation in the budget debate

HB81: Protection for children in our schools

(cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)The House Education Committee yesterday voted to expand criminal background checks for employees in public education (HB81) to include volunteers.Some of the language may be vague, though, according to a criminal defense lawyer, cited in a Salt Lake Tribune article.Legislators dismissed the concerns of Rob Layton, of the Utah Association of … Continue reading HB81: Protection for children in our schools

Outlining Priorities: Guv’s State of the State

Utah Legislature Watch)Governor Herbert delivered his first State of the State Addretonight. His priorities including keeping taxes from being raised, holding public education harmless from budget cuts, transportation, and legislative ethics reform. For the first time in three years, we are expecting an increase in revenue for the upcoming fiscal year. Housing is beginning to stabilize, … Continue reading Outlining Priorities: Guv’s State of the State

Let the Games Begin!

(cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)Today’s opening of the Utah Legislature will bring a variety of issues in the spotlight, among them being: The Budget- addressing the “shortfall” and how/if to use the “rainy day” fund and other measures to generate revenue - and within the budget debate are the hot topics of public and higher … Continue reading Let the Games Begin!