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Show WASATCH COUNTY COURIER. the presidency! The U.S. has such a diversity of people and of life’s experiences and beliefs that our strength does not lie in the far right school. The School Board assured the public that would solve the crowding problem for years to come. Now here we are, only a few months later, and the school board is back again, before the new school is even built, wanting more money to perpetuate their mismanage- any place to put them. This crisis was created by the mistakes of the County OTe Commissioners in failing to impose proper impact fees on developers. If the County had properly taxed new home construction so that those moving into the county had to pay for what they were costing the county, we wouldn't now be in a situation where all the residents of the county have subdivision development. to subsidize tax increase, but they also think the schools have a budget problem. [I don’t know about your family budget, but I do Board’s. continued. inefficient { tba UL, Lien JU BA et i problem. The schools need more room. Changing the school calendar to use the current school buildings all year long instead of only for nine months will increase the mis-man- agement of the schools. The schools don’t ged more of our _ money. If they only spend what they for the Board’s Aug. 26 public hearing to let the Board know the time has come to stop raising taxes to perpetuate an _ inefficient school system. the - tax increase because it isn’t needed. It’s a waste of our money, and they should- number of students that can be taught in ~ n’t do it. They should fix the current the current buildings by one-third. That wasteful system, not throw-more money will solve the crowding problem for ~. down the same old rat hole. years to come. With all that extra space, no tax increase.is needed to build more classrooms. - - Back when the County Cadmidlonss were giving your money away to the developers, I worked doing research on education programs for the US Department of Education. I spent almost $1,000,000 of your taxes documenting everything there is to know about year round schools in the most detailed study ever done of that program. These are incontrovertible facts. about year round schools: (1). They. increase the capacity of existing build- — ‘ings to 133% of the current student — body, (2) They save money; the more efficient use of buildings reduces per-— pupil costs by 13% forever, (3) Parents, ‘students, and staff greatly prefer the year ‘round calendar when it is done right, and (4) There is no plan so. good that school administrators can’t mess it up. Ill-informed, unthinking knee jerk opponents of change will protest that Sandy tried year round schools and had a lot of problems. Sandy had some problems because they didn’t do it right. Sandy violated one of the basic prescriptions for a successful program. Just ‘because Sandy’s school board was stupid doesn’t mean Wasatch County’s School Board also has to be stupid, but they are on the stupid track. Come out at the Aug 26th hearing on the tax increase and set them straight. _ Editor: ernment | feel the need to write a rebuttal to Sam Allen’s Op. Ed. Article in the Aug. 17th Courier. Mr. Allen’s article “well, embarrassing”...full of old cliches like: 1) the “liberal press” is bad, “moderates” are suspect, 3) “grass- roots conservative values” (undefined by ‘Mr. Allen) are good, 4) polls have no value if they don’t say what “I” want them to say. Mr. Allen champions Steve Forbes for President without telling us what Forbes qualifications are, except that Allen agrees with what he says. Steve Forbes inherited his fortune and his magazine from his father. He has never had to work very hard for anything. He In Great Britain a person must have been in govt. for years and be the national leader of his/her party before he has never been elected no means to acquire more income? Are there people in the District that are is eligible to become Prime Minister. It amazes me to think that we, in the U.S., somehow believe that anyone, whether they have any experience in govt. or given insurance that are not employees? For example are elected board members not, can be President (the most impor- given insurance coverage? tant & powerful job in the world) ... as long as that person agrees with “me” on ed part time ance at the many bonds four years? taxes already cover books, technology, and maintenance? . Are we not still looking at another bond in the near future fora High School and what of an Administrative building? Are we getting what we are paying for? Have we it?’ like to send an enthusiastic thank-you out to the courier for your creative approach to promoting Heber Valley businesses. The Mingo contest brought over 150 people into my store Many of whom had never stopped in before. One of the biggest challenges facing small business in the Heber Valley is local awareness and participa- tion. Thank-you Courier for the won-derful exposure your contest provided. | © to COUNT AND read #SCHOCE DISTRICT PAR- CITIZEN REPORT. Head School District and_... County Explore Partnership. New Ways ‘To The full front page explains in detail the number of swimmers using the pool and water. the temperature of the Competition swimmers like a cooler pool, the public enjoy it a few degrees: warmer. Currently it is running 2 degrees warmer Was heat? than either user needs. this written to state we are wasting This is front page news? - This four paged report goes on to tell of public office nor held any position in a Truth and Taxation Hearing in government. And, NO, running a magAugust. ( No date or place given.) The azine is NOT, in any way, like running a ~ report continues... “the District, on govt. He has never had to cope with the - behalf-of the students, asks for the supevery day realities of public safety or. port of parents and citizens”. In order public health or public education, of to be a prepared partner in this partnerhighway and water issues or wilderness ship lets consider the following quesdetermination, etc. Certainly, he’s never tions: Are not the children supported ‘dealt with foreign policy or war and by the parents and not the District? peace. The only qualification Forbes has . going for him, from where I sit, is . money. He and George W. Bush seem to agree that they have a right to BUY When the Report was printed was the date set for the hearing? A partnership works together informing one another. Is + % eg # , 3 q — Are we not still paying on i that bond? Did we not build an elementary school in a planned industrial.area of Heber city and then as District ask the: traffic and trucks slow down? Is this an example of “Partnership”? Are we utilizing buses and being efficient with milage and boundaries so that children are not on buses longer than necessary? Why is it that we bus some students past two elementaries to a full school, when we have cut teachers at a school that is closer? Is not the level of education the same in each of the Districts schools? Don’t all the students end up in the same Middle and High School? So why does the District create segregation? This week on two different days we received two copies of the WASATCH -ENT lines positions be given insurtax payers expense? How have we had over the past The levy will be used to maintain buildings, for text books, technology, as well as insurance. Don’t| our Editor: ‘I would Should elect- not reduced the staff size at the Midway Elementary after the bond for expanding Editor: As a former teacher of history and gov- 2) beyond our own selfish interests. Myle Walsh, Water From the Moon | Keith Baker was, too far to the left we lose sight of the good of the whole... the greater good _ Sincerely, Sincerely, - Have we not How can the all experienced this? District ask everyone to pay those increases? Are there people who do not have insurance themselves that would be paying for the rising costs of those who are insured? How can the District ‘take money from a retired couple with Lucille Tuttle, Heber City 5 Oates of rising insurance costs. choosing our government leaders. oi urge all County taxpayers to turn out We are not just nay sayers. homes, etc.? The report also informs us money to spend! Under our present election funding even really capable people, if they don’t raise “scads” of money, have little or no chance of being elected to national office. This seriously weakens our democracy. Sometimes | think we are more careful about choosing football quarterbacks than we are in have now the right way, they will solve _ the overcrowding problem and have Good ol’ Boys running county govern-. - enough money left. over to give the ment give the developers this sweetheart “ ~ teachers a well deserved raise without deal. having to increase taxes. Although the School Board did not create the budget problem, a tax increase is a bad and unnecessary answer to ) the over the last five years? Residential con-. the issues, of course ... and has lots of know about school budgets, and there isn’t a problem except as created by the i ALLL i MG) “| didn’t live here when that hapeeaed ‘so I’ll leave it up to the Old Timers to ‘explain to the rest of us why they let-the Many Wasatch County voters and taxpayers find themselves between a rock and a hard place. They know their family budget can’t afford another whopping What of all schools “r the Board doesn’t have “at a very rapid struction may grow but how is that impacting the schools? Are we gaining retired couples, older families, second has such a miserable fat to the right or ‘ment of the school system. District: growing has been the enrollment or in the far left. Our strength lies near the center. One ingredient (that Mr. Allen seems to have missed) of successful governing is the ability to compromise. The current do-nothing Congress This time, their propaganda claims its _just a small tax increase. Well, we just ed tax increase was not all the Board’s ~ got our projected tax statement for next fault. year, and our school taxes go up 30% Wasatch Co. is growing. Lots of new | under the Board’s plan. kids are showing up at the schoolhouse That’s not my idea of a “small” increase. . door, and the pace”, as written in the report? monsoons. School ct Before showing how the Board can solve their imaginary budget shortfall by better management of the school system, I’d like to point out that the budget bind leading to the proposal of an unwarrant- the CSN A... oaaniallaea — ago (eens ener ailitemant money. years —-ptnea bad idea. It’s a bad idea because it is not necessary. It would not be needed if the Board would only stop wasting our tax two ome The Wasatch Co. Board of Education. proposes a tax increase. This is a very than Rb ‘Less Board came to the voters asking for a tax increase to build a new middle weap Editor: EDITOR Is this a Partnership? If funds are needed why don’t we sell the Central and North School properties and use the funds to lower the incredible deficit? As a family we live within a budget. When we spend money we don’t have we call it debt. The debt is never carried to our employer or neighbors to fill in where we are short. Each family and citizen of the county have given more for education over the past four years than ever before in the county. The sounds from the District are not gratitude but sounds of greed. More schools more spending. Live within the budget. Do not bond us any more until we have rid ourselves of the over burdening debt. Reduce costs and inform us of dates and times rather than trying to feed us terms of Partnership and Adjustments. The scheduled Truth and Taxation hearing, held this Thursday, at the District Office is for the whole entire county to attend. Even this brings question. How can the selected meeting place hold as many bodies as should be interested in this partnership and added debt? J ulie Owens ay tate Ne LETTERS TO THE ce August 24, 1999 |