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Show Public school needs will affect University's financial picture By Suzanne Dean . Staff Writer Weighing heavily on the amount the University of Utah and the other state colleges receive from the coming Utah legislature will be increasing needs of elementary and secondary schools. For, in addition to the $119 million being asked by higher education, officials of the Utah Education Association are asking legislators for $125 million-including $61 million for fiscal 1969. And, like University officials, elementary and secondary educators see a tax increase as the only solution. Dr. T. H. Bell, superintendent of public instruction; Wilbur Barnett, state senator and member of the senate education committee; Dr. John C. Evans of the Utah Education Association (UEA); Henry Pierson of the Utah Foundation, and Mrs. Harold Summerhays of the Utah School Boards Association, seemed to reach this conclusion Tuesday when they appeared on the KUED program "Dial 7: Financing Higher Education." First Responsibility "Our first responsibility, as we have it seen, is to the public schools," said Sen. Barnett. "We are definitely going to have to weigh the increases being asked by higher education against those requested by the public schools and find out which needs are most urgent in each case." "All of the schools are going to require additional funds, and much of what they are asking looks important," he added. Most legislators, said Barnett, are aware that some tax increase may be needed. Dr. Evans said a UEA group had polled legislators and found 88 per cent willing to enact a "moderate to significant" tax hike. Increase Not Enough But Mr. Pierson contended that even a substantial increase would legislature, because "we're suiv we'll never get an increase in an election year." He urged that the legislature make appropriations large enough to improve expenditures per pupil as well as meet growing fixed costs. "It's always harder to catch up than to stay up," he said. From here on, the focus turns to higher education. Thursday, the Utah Coordinating Council of Higher Education meets to recommend to Gov. Rampton a budget figure for colleges. The original $119 million request made by the colleges last month is expected to be trimmed somewhat. Hijrher Education Confab Nov. 9 on KUED Dr. Merle C. Allen, executive director of the Coordinating Council; Neil Maxwell, University executive vice president and representative to the Board of Regents and state legislature will discuss "Financing Higher Education" on "Dial 7" at 8:30 p.m. not begin to meet all education is requesting much less amounts being asked by the State Welfare Dept. and other agencies. He said increases of 10 mills in the state property tax, one per cent in sales tax and a state income tax surcharge would yield only about $54 million. "Revenues in the current biennium have fallen short of estimates," he said, and higher federal income and social security taxes only add to the aggrevation of additional state and local taxes." Raise Pupil Support "UEA's goal is to bring support per student in average daily attendance up to the level of the top three surrounding mountain states," Dr. Evans explained. Meanwhile, Mrs. Summerhays reported on a joint study made by the Dept. of Public Instruction and the State School Boards Association (SSB). It recommended a 15 per cent overall increase 'for secondary and elementary schools "to cover inflation, growth, and special areas where, if we don't find solutions now, we will be way behind later." t , The SSBA study recommendations were lower than UEAs, however. Never in Election Year Dr Evans said any tax increases must" be made by the coming |