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Show Budget cuts could hurt Uintah School District B Sujit. ft h lie Rrid President Jimmy Carter's 1981 Budget asks Congress to eliminate impact im-pact aid payments to school districts where impact aid makes up less than five percent of current expenditures. This proposal would have the effect of cutting the number of school districts receiving impact aid from 4.308 in 1980 to 738 in 1981. A total of 3.570 districts that got impact aid in 1980 would receive neither A (areas on Indian lands) nor B (areas of BLM and Forest Service Lands) funds. These funds were made "in lieu of taxes" paid by privately owned businesses or farms. Presently the Uin-tah Uin-tah District receives some $500,000. If these federal properties were on the tax roll like other private enterprise, we could expect double that amount. Now we stand to gain nothing. Now that we are on the brink of an energy explosion, a cut like this can really harm the educational system of our distrcl. Whereas the total allocation goes directly into M&O (salaries), to illustrate il-lustrate the consequences of such a dastardly deed, if we looked at beginning beginn-ing teachers alone with their fringe benefits, we would need to release between bet-ween 34 and 39 of them to meet the cutback. cut-back. Naturally, we won't allow such things to happen but other essentials will need be considered. , Weber School District is another one greatly concerned over the impact of such a loss. They took the matter to their public as to what to cut back on. The voters basically wanted the board to keep programs as they were. Some also said they were willing to pay an additional ad-ditional two mills on their property tax while others felt we should cut programs. pro-grams. At the election 51 15 voted no and 2540 voted yes. Since the mill levy went down to defeat, citizens were invited to spend two evenings to recommend areas for cutback. The board then spent six hours in a special study session to carefully review the recommendations. The board was basically in agreement with the priorities set by the citizen advisory groups. Yet the board acknowledged that these changes would create some problems and concerns with district patrons. The following areas were cut back: 1) transportation services, 2) increase in-crease school lunch prices, 3) loss money in books and supplies, 4) reduce string music programs, 5) eliminate summer counseling and other areas, 6) increase pool rental. Other areas cut would be: reduced workshops and in-service in-service training, reduced administration, administra-tion, cutback on testing, reduced curriculum cur-riculum materials, less safety equipment, equip-ment, eliminate Young Farmers and Young Homemakers, reduce experience ex-perience based career education, recondition musical instruments, and increase summer school tuition. The advisory group and the Weber Board of Education also agreed that with athletics, other extracurricular activities, summer school and swimming swimm-ing programs, that parents pay these costs directly. Weber district put $110,000 into senior high athletics, $23, MM into junior high athletics, $16, (XK) into music, drama, and debate, $29,000 into inservicc and workshops, reduce transportation to only those elemental-v kids who live one and one half miles from school, saving $257,000. They spend $4,000 for special activity runs. They now charge $23 for every student stu-dent to play football. $20 for basketball, $15 for wrestling. $12 for baseball and track. S17 for marching groups, $5 for marching band. A $90 per family extracurricular ex-tracurricular charges was agreed to. Superintendent Reid was invited to testify at the Denver hearing on the effect ef-fect Federal activities have on local school districts on March 6. The hearing hear-ing commission was sworn in September 28, 1979 to hear these cases from the various states. Now. a letter or call to your Congressman Con-gressman supporting continued 874 funding fun-ding will be appreciated. The Uintah School District needs your help. |