OCR Text |
Show Davis Teachers Are Seeking More Money lax limitation that compounds the problem. "THEY (legislature) will have to review some limitations limita-tions and increase taes.' although he says he doesn't believe be-lieve that would mean a major increase. And while he says a severance tax on coal would help, it's "not enough." the former teacher adds. "This (educator' proposal) is really a hare-bones proposal, propos-al, just to cover inflation and more students. The voted leeway lee-way is the only response to operate op-erate on local needs reserved for school districts. Sales and income taxes escalate but schools ought to get off the property tax. "FRANKLY, I'd say the Republicans Re-publicans who so control the legislature w ill have to face the political reality. If they do again what they did (in the last session) then they will be know n as the party that doesn't support education the anti-education pan v. "They will have to look at beating the governor in finding funds. The preliminary (indication) (in-dication) is the governor is not coming in w ith a very good recommendation re-commendation this year." although Mr. Burningham says the state "obviously had a surplus" in funds. BUT I IK says the state can't be relied on too heavily or as the tax limitations continue. local governments will further be hampered in providing services ser-vices and power will swing to the legislature so that the could be cal'ed the school board. In other proposals being sought b the DLA and its pa rent statewide organization, the Utah Education Association, Associa-tion, an increase in the state's guaranteed support funding for the voted leeway is being asked. It would increase that from $17 a mill per weighted pupil unit for the first two mills to the same amount for four mills. I) WIS DISTRICT currently has a three mill voted leeway authorization and looks to receiving re-ceiving upwards of $1 million on its first two mills. In addition, educators are asking that a uniform starting date for five-year-olds entering enter-ing kindergarten be implemented im-plemented in the state's 40 district. dis-trict. It would be set at Sept. I and take affect in 1983. giving parents some leeway for nest year. Mr. Burningham sas adding. ' We feel it would be helpful. 1 hat should be the same. We start some kids too early. DEA OFFICIALS were to meet with the county's legislators legisla-tors along w ith School Board President Lucile Reading and others from the school district in a dinner meeting Tuesday night where these issues were to be raised. By TOM BUSSELBERG FARMINGTON Davis County teachers are supporting support-ing a proposal that would raise the state education budget by 18 percent, including a 13 percent per-cent share for salaries. THAT WOULD include 1 1 percent as cost-of-living increase in-crease and two percent for those affected by lane changes, explains Dee Burningham, Burn-ingham, Davis Education Association executive secretary. sec-retary. While those figures may sound high, he explains that the request is made largely in an effort to catch up after the legislature appropriated about 8 percent short of needs during the last session. "The legislature legisla-ture gave only 6 percent (increase) (in-crease) so the districts tried to make it up. That really put a severe strain on their budgets. The only way was to increase class size." DAVIS TEACHERS were luckier than many, receiving a 7.6 percent salary boost, but that came after the longest negotiations experienced in the county in years between district and teacher representatives. represen-tatives. It didn't come without some trimming of school programs, prog-rams, including raising the pupil-teacher ratio, up by nearly near-ly a full student on the average. "There are an awful lot of classes in the mid and high 30' s in elementary and secondary schools. Yet people will have to realize teachers will have to have a fairly reasonable salary provided. When they (district) can't provide anything close to appropriate" morale becomes a factor, Mr. Burningham says. BESIDES SALARIES, teachers are asking the other five percent (of 18) to account for student growth that saw more than 1,000 new students enter county schools last year with projections for at least that many again. Several factors make it hard for local districts to come up even with their share that traditionally was about one-third one-third what was needed he says, noting the change in property tax assessment from about 20 to 16 percent has minimally affected state government but put most burden on local school districts and governments. govern-ments. "About the only money we get is from property tax," but with the 106 percent |