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Show New Utah American Fork Citizen - Thursday, September 18, 2003 - Page 2 OPINION II II mum State must fix funding problem "Performance Plus," the State Office of Education's plan to fulfill the requirement require-ment of Utah State Senate Bill 154, approved during the 2002-2003 legislative session, was presented to the public on Sept. 10 and Sept. 11 at high schools in north Utah County. The meetings were organized organ-ized by the Alpine School District Dis-trict Community Council and were intended to present the State's requirements of the Utah bill and its proposed implementation. "Performance Plus" is an attempt to comply with a quickly-composed piece of legislation leg-islation aimed at falling into compliance with the new federal fed-eral standards set down by President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" educational initiative ini-tiative - a poorly funded mandate. The State Office of Education, Educa-tion, State Board of Education Educa-tion and Alpine School District Dis-trict officials attended the meetings at Pleasant Grove and Lehi to explain the changes, answer questions and hear public opinion. In spite of the unresolved issues brought out at the meetings, the most glaring difficulty for Utah schools in complying with the program is the projected expense. The estimated cost of implementing "Performance Plus'' is $322 million, accord Gateway to neighborliness For years Trevor and Sandra have been telling everyone in the neighborhood that they are from England. But I'm not buying buy-ing it. Those authentic-sounding accents and cute little Anglo-Saxon Anglo-Saxon ways are just part of a very clever disguise. The truth is - and I am absolutely convinced con-vinced of this - my next-door neighbors are actually guardian angels, sent by God to keep an eye on my family. And believe me, it's been a full-time job. When plumbing issues threatened to turn our basement base-ment into Loch Mess, Trevor was there with his tools and years of plumbing expertise. When hornets were turning my shed into their own private condominium con-dominium complex, Trevor taught me how to get rid of them (humanely, of course). When we needed to find a way to get water to a strip of grass by our mailbox without having to tear up our driveway in order to install a new water line, Sandra San-dra told us to just tap into their sprinkling system no problem. prob-lem. See what I mean? Angelic. Take last night, for example. Our church congregation was holding a self-reliance night. Everyone was supposed to pretend pre-tend there was some kind of emergency where we had no electricity or gas, and we had to make do for the evening with whatever supplies we had in our homes. But it was an interesting and revealing exercise, intended to help us get a sense of the kinds of things we need to have on-hand for light, for cooking, for information and for food. I had a real-life emergency at work, so I wasn't able to participate. partici-pate. But Anita said it was actually actu-ally kind of fun. She warmed some soup on our little camp stove, and our lantern provided more than enough light. The kids played games instead of watching TV, and everyone seemed to be having a good time until Anita noticed that the electricity was not on. Evident- ing to the State Office of Education Edu-cation spokesman Mark Peterson, with some of the money going to testing and most going to remediation expenses. Remediation expenses would include after-school and summer education programs, pro-grams, and individual tutoring tutor-ing to bring struggling students stu-dents to a performance level with other students. State administrators say they can find $98 million for the changes by shuffling money from existing funds. Another $22 million will be generously contributed by the federal government, still leaving leav-ing a $202 million shortfall for the program. This education funding dilemma comes in the wake of a State legislative session when funds were moved around in a shell game fashion fash-ion to sustain the State education edu-cation budget while capping other fund increases. "Performance Plus" may be the State Office of Education's Educa-tion's answer to coping with the federal mandate, but it has less than half the estimated esti-mated funding needed. The state legislature needs to take a second look at the education funding problem in the 2004 legislative session and address the issues raised about "Performance Plus" by parents, students and educators educa-tors at the meetings. If 1 Wm J ly, someone decided to "help" us with our mock emergency by shutting down the power: Which was OK, I guess, until time came to end the exercise and Anita didn't know how to turn the power back on. She called me, but that was a little like calling Ben and J-Lo to ask for marriage advice. I know how to change a light bulb and flick the switch on and off, but that's about the extent of my electrical expertise. But I did know where to go to get answers. "Go ask Trevor," I said. "He'll know." And of course, he did. "What did we ever do to deserve such great neighbors?" Anita asked when she called to tell me that peace - and power -had been restored to our house. Unfortunately, I didn't have a better answer for that question than I did for the one about turning the power on. For the life of me, I couldn't think of anything I had done to make a positive difference in Sandra and Trevor's lives. I try to keep Jon's basketball off of their front lawn. And I think I shoveled snow off of their front walk once. But aside from that, the gateway to neighborliness seems to swing only one way between our houses. But that is going to change, as of today. Sandra and Trevor have inspired me. I'm going to try to be as good a neighbor to them aa they have been to me. And not just them. I have other neighbors. Surely I can find ways to be kind and thoughtful to them, too. Maybe we can all inspire each other to increased love and kindness and helpfulness. helpful-ness. What a positive difference that can make in our neighborhoods, neighbor-hoods, and in our lives. Which is exactly the kind of thing a guardian angel would do, don't you think? Students' deaths affect entire community American Fork High School's homecoming festivities this week will take on a somber note with the tragic death of two of its students following a traffic accident Saturday Satur-day evening. I didn't know the students involved, nor do I have family members mem-bers attending the school who would have been acquainted with them. However, I can feel the loss. This will affect virtually our entire community, and those effects will be long lasting. With very few exceptions, high school students are not confronted with their own mortality. It is not something that often invades their thoughts or turns dreams into nightmares. Some students have carried the burdens of the loss of their family members. Many times those are grandparents or others in the same age bracket. Often those deaths have been anticipated for some time before they occur. While not belittling those losses, the sudden and accidental loss of life brings an additional shock. And when it happens to friends their own age, there is a different Don't split the school district Editor The purpose of the Lehi High School Community Council (LHSCC) is to identify strengths, weaknesses and needs of Lehi High School, shape policies and programs to improve the school, define goals for the school, and assess progress in all of these areas. It is with that purpose in mind that we state our position; we are against the proposal to split Alpine School District We appreciate Representative Cox's desire and continued efforts to improve education for our children. However, it is an overstatement for him to purport that splitting the Alpine School District into three school districts will solve our current cur-rent education problems. What are our problems? Let's list just two of the many we could discuss. dis-cuss. First: Our class sizes are too large. Studies show that small (not smaller) class sizes are a factor in better education. Large classes of 35 or more students stu-dents had little or no difference in test scores when compared with medium classes of 19-34 students. However, small classes of 18 students stu-dents or less made a noticeable difference dif-ference in improved test scores. The key word is small not smaller, small-er, and getting small class sizes in Utah, with our larger-than-nation-al-average family sizes, means money: Money to build more schools to house those small classes, money to staff those small classes with competent and trained teachers, money to buy books and supplies, and money to operate those new schools that house those small classes. That money comes from taxes. And those taxes come from us here in the Alpine School District, not from somewhere or somebody else. Let's review where funding for schools comes from. Funding for schools comes primarily from three sources: a Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU), bonds and leeway. The Weighted Pupil Unit is the funding that goes with each pupil as appropriated appro-priated by the State Legislature from property and state income taxes. Bonds are used to fund the capital improvements needed in a district. These bonds are used to build or remodel schools, and the ' bonds are paid off by the property taxes assessed on the tax payers of the school district The leeway is part of our property proper-ty tax assessment used for ongoing operation of schools. Bonds and voted leeway require the approval of the taxpayers. The school board also has a limited ability to assess leeway. Splitting the district would give our northern area no more or no less of the WPU, but would put us in a school district experiencing tremendous growth with a small tax base from which to approve and fund bonds and leeway. Now is not the time for Lehi, Saratoga Springs, and Eagle Mountain Moun-tain to break away from the combined com-bined tax base of the current Alpine School District when it is our turn to benefit from those tax revenues. With only 17 percent of the tax base, Lehi and surrounding communities com-munities would require significant property tax increases just to keep (Mm impact It is perhaps natural for the adults around the students to recite platitudes, reminding them that accidents happen and that no one knows how many days or years they will have to live. The next few weeks will probably bring a few parental additional lectures lec-tures on safe driving habits and perhaps some driving restrictions to attempt to prevent additional accidents. As noble as these measures may be, there is more that our students need right now. Most of all, they need to know that they are loved. They are learning learn-ing the hard lessons that there is much in life that they cannot count on; they do need the knowledge that they mean the world to their parents par-ents and families. Reader's Forum current class sizes, let alone generate gener-ate enough funds to create small class sizes. Lehi citizens have voted for bonds and been taxed to build and maintain schools in neighboring towns as those towns experienced their growth. We believe those neighbors will do the same now as we experience our growth. Problem two: Alpine School District Dis-trict has not been responsive to the input or needs of Lehi and the north-western part of the district Many would say that Lehi has been treated like the "poor stepchild" when it comes to getting resources from the district, but the "poor stepchild" is no more. Current remodeling of the high school, the construction of a new junior high and the recent completion comple-tion of two new elementary schools located in southwest Lehi and in Eagle Mountain are evidence that funds are coming our way. We currently have a Lehi resident, resi-dent, Donna Barnes, on the school board who will represent our needs. We have a new Lehi High School Community Council that is getting up to speed to provide input and feedback to the school and the district. dis-trict. Splitting the district' does not guarantee more responsiveness or more cost efficiency. Of the 40 school districts in the state, Alpine School District is currently the fifth most cost efficient while being the fourth largest. If we split it into thirds we would still have larger districts than Representative Rep-resentative Cox believes is optimal and at the same time lose the cost efficiency we currently have. If we follow Representative Cox's reasoning reason-ing we should divide it 20 times and have school districts that represent approximately 2,000 students. Education Edu-cation for our children will improve as parents become more involved and as the community, teachers, administrators, parents and students stu-dents find more ways to work together. We are dedicated to our students. We are concerned for their future. We believe our students need the best opportunities to learn and achieve that can be offered them. Splitting the Alpine School District will not provide those opportunities; it will more likely do just the opposite. oppo-site. . Lehi High School Community Council Kaye Collins, Chair, educator, parent Rhonda Nerdin, co-chair, parent Cheryl Allgaier, educator, parent Robert Allred, parent Wade Lott, educator, parent Kathy Rich, educator Cindy Routson, parent Rick Turner, parent - Susan Vanderhoef, parent Doug Webb, educator, parent Jeff Whitehead, parent . Sheldon Worthington, educator, parent Keep Wal-Mart closed on Sunday Editor A comment in the editorial "Decision "Deci-sion deserves caution" (Sept 11) concerning a proposed giant Wal-Mart Wal-Mart in Cedar Hills struck a sore spot One issue is that the new store would have to be open seven days a week, which goes against the predominant pre-dominant religious values of the community. Doesa community They need reassurance that their lives make a difference. Even if they are young and somewhat impetuous, their contributions will long be felt by those around them. They don't need to wait until they are a certain age before they become "important" As students celebrate homecoming homecom-ing this week, they may wonder just a bit whether the triviality of the festivities would detract from the solemnity of having death strike those around them. Many would mouth another platitude, plat-itude, telling them their friends would want them to continue their normal routine. Whether they go ahead with their usual tasks and the events already scheduled, they need extra support in the next days and weeks. It's up to the parents, neighbors, friends, teachers and others in their lives to remember the lessons and trials these students are going through, and to give them the assistance assis-tance they need to get through their times of introspection. As a community, our lives are vitally tied to each other and one's loss is felt by everyone. serve its retail stores or do they serve the community? I grew up in a Utah town where people did all of their work and shopping six days a week, and devoted the Sabbath to the Lord. The owner of the only country store in town applied to the City Council to remain open on Sunday to accommodate accom-modate recreation traffic passing through town on their way to and from the mountains. He was turned down It was contrary to the 4th commandment, plain and simple. Also, the store was a half block from the church, and townspeople did not want that kind of contradiction contradic-tion for their children, wondering why they could not stop at the store on their way from church, to say nothing of the temptation for mom stopping to buy that loaf of bread she forgot to buy on Saturday. Who says the corporate giants moving into our ChristianMormon communities "have to be open" on Sunday? Some Southern Baptist communities today enforce a Sabbath Sab-bath law that closes retail stores on Sunday. What is the matter with Christian communities in Utah? We really do need to take a hard look at managing the "large and spacious buildings" moving into our communities commu-nities for mamtaining our values, and not letting them manage us. If all communities banded and closed retail stores on Sunday there would be no contention over unfair competition compe-tition and lost sales by not being open on Sunday, as if that really mattered. While monuments of the Ten Commandments are being moved out of our town squares, can we remember what they say, and still believe they came from the mouth of God? All of the commandments , are straight forward statements except two that God determined needed detailed explanations making mak-ing not worshipping graven images, and keeping the Sabbath day holy explicitly clear. We need to think about the blessings bless-ings and consequences attached to these commandments, including managing "the stranger that is within thy gates," and measure the value of our decisions in terms other than dollars and cents. We need to fight if necessary to preserve the "old fashioned" but . timeless values like the Ten Commandments as the moral foundation of civilization. Do it right Cedar Hills, and put a little backbone into the rest of Pleasant Valley on this issue. And hurray to Pleasant Grove for taking a stand on their Ten Commandments monument monu-ment in the town square. ; Garth Norman Watering the median during a drought Editor, Can you believe the masses of sprinklers in the medians of the Alpine Highway as you drive through Highland? They must want to put one sprinkler in for every citizen cit-izen of Highland! In this time of drought shouldn't Highland City be setting the example exam-ple of good water management techniques? tech-niques? It makes you wonder when you drive through the excess water flooding the street, watch all those thirsty rocks get well-watered and see more stems of sprinkler pipes than beautiful stems of flowers. - Robert Maieson FOOR 1 |