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Show NOVEMBER 4, 1986 Davis School Superintendent gives views on education woes Editors Note: Correspondent Joyce Winters recently Interviewed Davis County School Superintendent Lawrence Welling, getting his views on the problems facing education and public schools. This story is the first in a series of stories on Education The Problem Hitting Close to Home. KAYSVILLE Nearly every day, either by the newspaper, television or radio, one can read, see or hear something about education. Most of what were reading or seeing sounds pretty bleak. One person who feels the press- ures about as much as anyone is long-tim- e Kaysville resident Lawrence E. Welling, Davis Countys Superintendent of Schools. Aside from his position, Supt. Welling feels he has a strong investment in Davis County, since he was raised in Farmington, attended grade school there, went to South Davis Junior High and graduated from Davis High. Hes sent all five children through Davis County Schools, the fifth child now a junior at Davis and of his class. serving as So not only is he a concerned parent, hes a very concerned administrator whos trying hard to carry out the policy the district sets, as well as keep over 3600 employees happy. The Davis School District is the second largest employer in Davis County, with Hill Field being first. In a personal interview with the superintendent, he addressed some questions that are often talked about, hopefully to help others understand Supt. Wellings position on a few issues. Q. One concern is this: the schools personnel are saying they are public servants, and yet when a parent goes to some teacher or administrators with a child related put problem, the parent is put-of- f, down, or sees no results or even a desire on the part of educators to correct the problem. Or when a teacher is ineffective in the eyes of some parents and parents ask for a change, nothing is done. So there seems to be a reluctance on the part of parents to want their taxes raised to promote a system they feel they have no real control or say over. How do you respond to that, Superintendent? A. There are imperfect people in an imperfect world which includes kids, parents, teachers and administrators. As we deal with problems, expectations are not the same. Who sets the standards to say one teacher is good or effective? One parent may feel the teachers doing a fine job, while another feels just the opposite. It is perfectly clear that the schools belong to the public. There are some things you can do to be everything to everyone. But there are clearly some things you cannot do. The best education program will be delivered by good teachers in the classroom. But lets face it, school is a business, a business competing for the best teachers in the country. In Utah, a shortfall is predicted. If you cant compete, you take whats available. On the other side of the coin, not everyone is in agreement as to what is good. Its a very dynamic circumstance in that its a stringent state law that every employee has right to due process. That means you cant walk into a classroom and tell a teacher he or she doesnt have a job on Monday morning. So thats a positive aspect, but on the other side, its cumbersome. You have to gather evidence, show up, gather facts. So a release or a complaint must be handled in the proper way. It is a misconception that no- - thing is ever done. I dont know of a year when a teacher hasnt been counciled out of the system. We just dont feel its in the best interests of the person to publicize, so the public feels nothing is being done. We dont feel as a district or as an employer of people that we just hire and fire, but we have an obligation to remediate teachers and help them succeed. The principal as well as the district office helps. Its a fine balance of fairness to the person and balance to protect the rights of students. So the judgement cannot be a snap one. Q. How do you feel about kindergarten? Is it a program that could be cut? A. Diversity is so great among children. Some children come with such great deficiencies. Societys problems become the schools problems. Tremendous pressures are on people now that didnt exist ten years ago. Early intervention can maybe save some children. Some are not getting nurturing, most are not getting read to in the years. School cant solve all of society's problems or substitute the home, but for most children, the earlier the school gets them, the better off theyll be. Im not talking about or even proposing an interest in the two, three and four year olds. I am suggesting a good strong kindergarten because theres such a widening of the populace. The smart ones are smarter and were seeing more gifted children, but were seeing more abused and neglected children. Q. What about funding? The finances seem to be the greatest issue right now. A. It is really hard to make people understand the real crunch and grind of what were going through and how bleak the finances are. pre-scho- ol Take the special education problem first. Funding is complex it involves local and state funding. The big determinate lies in the hands of the legislature. As the American Fork Training School because closed, Davis students were brought back and are being maintained in the local schools, so students can be mainstreamed close to home and provided with a service they need. Davis seems to attract the Special Ed child. Hill Field adds an additional impact because people have heard of the Davis program and request to be assigned to Hill. On a funding basis, more dollars were appropriated in Davis County, but on a per pupil basis, fewer dollars were received because of continued rapid growth in Davis County. The Special Ed services have not been reduced but have Service will still been be given. Under the present budget, every program is under scrutiny. Every facet will be looked at and will have to be trimmed. Some of the governors proposals such as kin- dergarten, drivers ed, and surplus programs will have to be studied. Davis County is the fastest growing district in the fastest grow- ing state. Its a local problem. The $4,000,000 bonding for buildings is up. Serious things need to be decided. Can we afford not to build any more schools when we get 2,000 new students in the district every year? The state has bonded some districts beyond what the district can do. Will the state force year around schools? What is the cost and impact of year around schools? What will year around schools do socially to a family? How much will it cost to put in air conditioning, which is a formidable expense to maintain, much more so than to heat. Is maintenance more than new construction? Do we build or no't build? Some other proposals are to have students walk up to three miles. Is that a savings or a tax on people? A new way to cut administration costs is suggested, but how in our large district is that to be done? It has been suggested we re- duce costs by hiring non-accredit- teachers. Do we forget the very business of educating? If were going to try to get economic development, maybe we need to take a leaf from Massachusetts, which has the highest tax rate, and the best schools in the nation. Or look at what Tennessee has done. They say, Look what we can offer you if you locate your businesses here. Utah lost a large automobile company contract to Tennessee because according to a May 5, 1986, New York Times 50,000 students. Supt. Lawrence E. Welling spends much of each day on the tele- phone, conferring with district employees and parents. arti- cle, Tennessee made sweeping educational changes. These words are taken from that article, For the most part, these innovations and new programs underscore the growing realization of state business and political leaders that better schools make both good political and economic sense, a realization even more sharply drawn as states become increasingly competitive in their efforts to attract new industries while they hang on to the ones they already have. That is because there is a direct linkage between better schools and future economic growth, an argument that has been most persuasive in the South, a region that historically has ranked near the bottom in terms of pupil performance and financing for education. In the last four years, South Carolina, Texas, Arkansas, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi have passed programs overhauling their educational systems. Most have relied on increases in state sales taxes to pay for higher teacher salaries, programs for gifted children and computer skills, expanded kindergarten programs, basic skills testing and enlarged training curricu-lum- s. Those Tennessee reforms have not come easy, but maybe our Kays, student in USUplay Brianna Bacon, Kaysville, has in the opening theatrical production of the season at Utah been cast Chamber of Commerce ought to be out championing education, instead of giving us a bad rap. The report to the board of Education to put reform measures into effect in Davis County cant be done overnight, because they have to answer to the people and prove why taxing is necessary. Davis is the third largest district in the state, and in 1982, we were 76th in nation. Since 1982, many of those districts have shrunk in size while Davis expands at one of the fastest rates in the nation. "Probably the greatest frustration in this job is not being able to plan, its almost impossible. Its hard to know what resources to plan on. The legislature distributes funds, then calls for reduction of funds. How do you carry on a continuity? The schools creditably is in doubt. The schools belong to the ' people, so we try to be responsive, but there are so many restraints. We are steeped in tradition, plus working with changing laws. I work for a Board of Education who sets the policy. They say to me make it work. Maybe if more parents would mobilize and help rather than trying to scuttle, we could all make it work." Part three The Tax Law and You State University. Brianna, the daughter of Charles G. and Jill V. Bacon, will be seen in the Utah State Theatre production, Stop I Want to Get Off. the World A 1985 graduate of Davis High School, Bacon is attending USU on an academic scholarship. She is a sophomore majoring in theatre and communications. As a high school student Bacon was active in numerous clubs and activities. She was an honor graduate and participated in stage productions including Fiddler on the Roof. At USU she has been seen in Romeo and Juliet and is a member of Hands Up, an entertain- ment group which interprets musical selections with American Sign Language. Bacon has also performed with the Valley Players, a local community theatre. She portrayed the title role in Gigi. I Want to Stop the World Get Off, will be presented in the Morgan Theatre of the Chase Fine Arts Center Nov. 6--8 and 1 at 8 p.m. According to theatre department head and production director Sid Perkes, the musical is a one-ma- n show with a chorus of eight women 3-- Bv Dr. John E. Clikeman has opened his new office at 525 S. State in the Steed South State Plaza, suite 9 and 10 in Clearfield. He has practiced chiropractic in 50-be- t JOHHNY E. WILLIS, CPA INDIVIDUALS BRIANNA BACON and a small boy. In the USU production the cast plays a troupe of n circlowns touring in a cus that has been on the road for years. Movement and mime are important elements of the play. Bacon is a member of the chorus. I Tickets for Stop The World Want To Get Off, are available at the USU Ticket Office and at the door performance evenings. For ticket information and reservations call (801) run-dow- 750-165- 7. Chiropractic office opens THE NEW APACHE womens dormitory at Weber Basin Job Corps is almost ready for occupancy. The d facility will replace trailers that have housed the women The students for many years. dormitory is part of a large improvement project at the and development of a new park. roadwork included center, which has 1 ITS NO EASY TASK running the states third largest school district with nearly the Clearfield area for more than 20 years. His practice consists of general chiropractic spinal care with emphasis in chiropractic orthopedics and sport injuries. Personal exemptions: Starting in 1987, the personal exemption amount for an individual, spouse, and dependants is increased to $1,900 for 1987, $1,950 for 1988. and $2,000 in 1989. After that, the amount will be adjusted to reflect inflation. In 1986 and prior years, additional personsl exemptions for the elderly and-o- r blind were allowed. This will no longer be the situation in 1987 and thereafter. Instead, the individual will receive additional standard deduction amounts for being over age 55 and-o- r blind ($600 each classification for married individual.: and $750 each classification for single individuals). f. e new law also affects dependants. A dependant that can be clai, ied on another taxpayers tax return cannot claim a personown tax return in 1987. Thus, children al exemption on who can be claimed on their parents tax return cannot file their tax return and claim the personal exemption of $1,900 in 1987 and in succeeding years. deduction: 1986 will be the last year married couples can deduct 10 percent of the wage for the spouse w ith the lowest wages. The deduction was computed on Schedule W and the amount reduced the adjust gross income. This benefit will be eliminated for tax years beginning in 1987. Income Averaging: No longer will individuals be able to average their income and pay a lower tax. For years beginning after January 1, 1987, this law will be repealed. his-h- er Two-earn- BUSINESS Investment Tax Credit: For assets placed in service, for business purposes, after December 31, 1985 the investment tax credit is repealed. For those businesses that have a carryover of unused investment tax credit, there will be some transition rates that allow the carryover, but the amount will be reduced a set percentage for years beginning in 1987. Targeted Jobs Tax Credit: The Act extends the credit for wages paid to qualifying individuals hired in 1986. 1987 and 1988. The credit has changed to 40 percent of $6,000 in wages paid to an individual in the first year of employment and no credit for the second. Certain summer youth employees qualify for a credit of 85 percent of $3,000 in wages. STUDENTS AT WEBER Basin Job Corps are putting the finishing touches on two building projects at the center. The administration building has been remodeled and enlarged, with the exterior portion of the project almost complete. |