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Show Our Only Motive Is To Act In Interest Of Quality Education fn recent weeks you have heard much about our special election to be held Oct. 2 in support of better education in our schools. Some statements made by persons from "outside" "out-side" our county would have you believe that your board of education is "underhanded, irresponsible and wateful." May we set the record straight. 1. OUR opposition claims that we should not have been able to afford a "record school salary increase of 1 2.1 percent." per-cent." The record shows that our teachers, recognizing our financial difficulties, sacrificed sacri-ficed benefits in order to receive re-ceive a salary increase. They gave up some medical and dental de-ntal benefits and they sacrificed sacri-ficed extra pay for extra duty. Almost every district in the state gave teachers a 12.1 salary sal-ary increase this year. Davis District could not hope to keep its good teachers if it failed to pay salaries commensurate with its neighbors. 2. OUR opposition claims that budget cuts "were not cuts at all," but merely "adjustments." "ad-justments." The record shows that we have 35 fewer teachers and 1 ,421 more students in our schools this year than last. We have two assistant superintendents superinten-dents instead of three this year; three fewer supervisors of curriculum and many fewer custodial and maintenance staff, secretaries and clerical personnel. The $1.6 million cuts in our budget this year consist of $1,403,304 in actual reduction in personnel and programs plus an additional $200,000 representing fees charged for activities not charged for in the past. 3. THE opposition claims "the district does not need the money" because the state guarantees every district the same number of dollars per weighted pupil unit. The record shows that this weighted pupil unit sum guaranteed by the state is only $946. Yet it will cost Davis District Dis-trict $1,554 to educate each student in our schools this year! No district in the state spends only the minimum $946 per child. It would be impossi ble for any district to keep schools open without additional addition-al funding. SOME OF Davis District's additional funding has come from federal impact aid. Yet that aid has dropped from ten percent of our maintenance and operating budget to little more than two percent. Many of our neighboring districts not only have impact aid funds to help pay their bills but also benefit be-nefit from leeway tax revenues. re-venues. The county in which our opposition is based has four school districts which benefit from a total of more than 14 million dollars in leeway revenues! re-venues! IF DAVIS County voters approve our leeway election on Oct. 2, it would generate $1.1 million locally and $878,400 from state matching funds. And it would cost the average homeowner just $21 in additional property taxes. This money would help guarantee quality education in Davis County schools. We ask you to compare that $1.1 million with the $7 million Granit District receives from leeway revenues each year and the $4 million Salt Lake District Dis-trict reaps. WE BELIEVE the citizens of Davis County should be aware that the voted leeway has the support of the PTA, the Council of Governments, the editorial boards of KSL, the Deseret News, the board of directos of the Bountiful Area Chamber of Commerce and the endorsement of dozens of our leading citizens. The only opposition comes from an organization whose base is outside our county and which refuses to name the members it claims to speak for. Its membership list is a secret, its motives in opposing us, a mystery. THE NAMES of the members mem-bers of the Davis County Board of Education are not secret; they are known to all of you. And our only motive is to ; act in the best interestof quality quali-ty education in our district. Our opposition accuses us of holding this election for "a few special interests." We do indeed in-deed represent special interests, in-terests, but they are not few in number. They are the 39,186 students enrolled in our schools this year. Lucile C. Reading, Pres., the Davis County Board of Education |
