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Show 0 jbuutaf Bid 9 Jfeaid Mr. Evans, secretary of the UEA, left no doubt about the union's intention to use every possible means of pressuring Governor Clyde and the State Legislature into bowing to the demands of state UEA officers. Mr. Evans said, in a newspaper newspa-per interview, "Education in Utah has become a political football," and threatened: "A careful record is being kept of all statements made by politicians in the current educational edu-cational crisis. Teachers will be reminded of these statements state-ments when it comes time to vote again." If education in Utah is a "political football," we think Mr. Evans can take credit for getting in the first kick-off. And the only "crisis" is caused by the unbending demands de-mands of the UEA, their refusal re-fusal to accept the program the State Legislature offered them, and their threat of a teacher strike if they don't get their demands. So far as "reminding the teachers when it comes time to vote again," we doubt seriously seri-ously if Mr. Evans can force the teachers to carry out his threats, and we wonder if a secret ballot, instead of a voice vote after proponents of all-out all-out war against Gov. Clyde and the Legislature have spoken, spok-en, wouldn't show that the majority ma-jority of the teachers want to end the hassle and sign their contracts. It's time for Mr. Evans to start talking reasonably, or for the teachers to tell him to get the chip off his shoulder and make some effort to cooperate with state officials and with the taxpayers. If there isn't a "break" in the UEA-caused "impasse" in the next few days, we think the Beaver Board of Education should follow the lead of the Washington County Board, declare de-clare teaching positions for which contracts have not been signed, vacant, and instruct Supt. Bryce Draper to start looking elsewhere for competent compe-tent teachers to fill the vacancies. |