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Show Tighten Belts, Says Educator By TOM BUSSELBERG FARMINGTON A top state educational official has told district superintendents of education that cost reductions reduc-tions must be made in certain programs, Davis School District Dis-trict Supt. Bernell Wrigley says. THE REDUCTION would, amount to a $9 a student cut in a program designated by each district. The proposal was made by State Supt. of Public Instruction Walter D. Talbot in a meeting of district chiefs from around the state. "School districts were asked to do a contingency plan and do a $9 reduction per student in that plan," Supt. Wrigley says. That would amount to a $325,000 cut for the district and $3 million statewide. "IT'S EASY to pick out some areas that we consider don't benefit the students but many programs were developed as a response to specific groups. As a result, the legislature has appropriated moneys and which group is willing to say you can forget our program? "As a board of education and administration 1 think we'll do all we can to meet the challenge but I think we can't run into this too quickly until we know what is being done on a state level," he says. THE STATE superintendent superinten-dent also recommended a lengthening in the yearly contract for' professional1 staff, including teachers, from 185 to 200 days. "It would be for those employees not now employed that long and they would take that in lieu of raises," Supt. Wrigley says. "The student days would be maintained as now but there would be additional days for in-service, extensive preparation and meetings." The district superintendent says he doesn't think that such a measure would create greater economy but might bring more financial problems. BUT SUPT. Talbot said, "Undoubtedly, the Utah Education Association will have as its number onr priority a cost-of-livu. ,, increase. A 200-day contract proposal would offer the legislature an alternative. It would be a proposal for quality education as contrasted contrast-ed to any proposal for a cost-of-living adjustment. In my mind, having professional staff under contract while students are not present would materially aid us in our quest for quality education. "Cost of a 20May contract and cost-of-living increase of around 7.5 percent would be approximately the same. It is my belief we can show financial finan-cial and program advantages1 in this proposal." DR. TALBOT also proposed ' breaker tax revision re lizing (20,000 household ii.come as a property tax payment determinant for those 65-years of age and over instead of the present $7,000 limit. In continuing the property tax theme, the state superintendent superin-tendent said, "Property tax reduction is a popular theme his year. Those who will occupy oc-cupy elective offices will support sup-port property tax reduction. '"IT IS, therefore, in my opinion, wise to seize the initiative ini-tiative so that the reduction may be planned using a surgical sur-gical instrument to trim budgets bud-gets where they may be trimmed rather than to react to a property-tax revolt which may employ a meat-axe approach." But he urged certain safeguards at the same time. "Utah's current tax programs are well balanced among property, income and sales taxes. We need to maintain main-tain that balance. If we concentrate con-centrate too much on reduction reduc-tion of the property tax and main all the programs taxes now finance there will need to be a raise in the income and ;sales tax." |