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Show Messenger-Enterpris- Increased school spending on instruction does not translate into higher SAT scores While per pupil instructional expenditures have increased by - nearly twice the rate of in- -: 30 since 1990. student per- flation formance on annual SAT tests have failed to improve markedly, according to a study by the Utah cerned communities can provide, Stephenson continued. Per pupil expenditures for instruction -- - which account for ap5 of total exproximately Taxpayers Association. This : study clearly demonstrates that increased educational funding ; alone is not the answer to the com- plex challenges facing Utahs schools, commented Howard Stephenson, President of the Utah However, Test scores over the same period remained constant in -- : Taxpayers Association. Rather, successful schools have three key qualities in common: (1) a belief that all children can learn, and challenge their students academi- ! : cally: (2) local control; and (3) a high degree of parental involve- ment. These are the things that money cannot buy, but that con 60-6- penditures increased from $1,791 in 1990 to $2,297 in 1994. grade 5, declined in grade 8, and improved slightly in grade 11. Nearly 200 studies spanning two decades and observing performance in many different educational settings provide strong and consistent that expenditures are not systematically related to student achievement, commented Greg A. Fredde, research analyst. Significant increases in per pupil instructional expenditures have failed to produce similar increases in student SAT test per- - Spending & Performance formance in many districts. For example, North Sanpete registered the largest increase in per pupil instructional expenditures from 1990 to 1994 nearly 46 yet SAT test scores for the district declined a net six points for grades 5, 8, and 1, combined. In fact, of the ten districts which increased per pupil expenditures on instruction the greatest between 1990 and 1994, six recorded a net decline in test scores for grades 5, 8, and combines. Test scores in the remaining four districts increased of the children, he said. Utah follow the national trend. None of the states that rank in the top 10 in performance - including Utah - ranks in the top 10 states in per pupil expenditures. We must face the facts, and the future, and recognize that there are serious, fundamental problems with our education system today, commented Stephenson. These problems will not be solved by increasing funding dramatically; thats been tried nationally and, as this and other studies confirm, it only marginally. By comparison, doesnt work, said Stephenson. What is required are new apover the same period, of the ten districts scoring the highest on the proaches centered on clearly deSAT tests for grades 5, 8, and 1, fined standards of educational exsix recorded increases in below the cellence. The guiding principle of state average per pupil instructhese new approaches should be tional expenditures. the same principle on which this School reform discussions nation was founded, and which that begin with the premise that other nations are now adopting constraints on expenditures are the with a vengeance: freedom, said most serious roadblock to improve Stephenson. Schools, teachers, student performance are, at best, parents, students and communities misguided, commented Fredde. need to be granted the freedom to Given the available data, on can choose new ways of teaching and only assume that interest groups learning, create new types of which continually demand higher schools, and develop new ways of funding levels have their own financing our education system, at heart and not the inter he said. ts Commission meeting (Continued from Page 1) small rural Utah counties that have state penal institutions. Although $37,000 seems a sizeable sum to contribute to the defense of state prisoners, it could have been much worse. It seemed more likely last year to be $200,000 or even half a million, until the Trust Fund was established. And all because of the murder of a Central Utah Correctional Facility inmate by fellow prisoners, who were charged with criminal homicide, aggravated murder. John Fredrick Cannestraci, one of the three, agreed, in a plea bargain, to plead guilty to a lesser charge and is now serving time in a state prison. The other two, Troy Mitchell Kell and Eric Thomas, entered not guilty pleas and opted for jury trials. They will be tried in January' and February at the Sanpete County courthouse. PUBLIC NOTICE The Ephraim City Council will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, July 19th, 1995 at 6:00 p.m. at the Ephraim Cooperative Building to discuss changes to the zoning ordinance, particularly in R-- l and R-designations. The is to attend. and invited encouraged public A Wendy Hansen City Recorder Spring City. Eddie Coxs request for approval of Central Utah Telephone Co.s franchise renewal. Morris Allred's request for gravel on a road in the Fountain Green area. Tracy Gubler, re. the access to Hideaway Valley and Robert Clement, re. access to the Blackhawk development. Along the way the Commismade Justice Ned Jensen sion Much of the Trust Fund For several years his office money, including Sanpetes happy. closet $37,000, will be spent in their de- has been an 2nd the courthouse. floor the of on fense. The Commission dealt with Too cramped to hold interviews, other items in a lengthy agenda at Justice Jensen complained, too crowded with equipment, hardly its Tuesday meeting this week. elbow room for the court secreRandy Winters, who is deThe Commission agreed to veloping property in Manti, met tary. Justice Jensen, his files, his have with the Commission to discuss office machines and his secretary problems in complying with the more commodious space. zoning codes. The Commission occupy I le can henceforth be found in the agreed to continue discussion of the problem until a later meeting, new courtrooms jury chambers. After all, two jury chambers are before making any kind of a decinot needed at the courthouse. The sion. Marc Mascaro, representing Commissioners agreed. The Commission ended its the developers, asked for some session late in the afternoon by for zoning changes Skyline Heights, the Meadows and North Ridge developments, all in the north end of the county. The developers wanted approval of five-aclots for the Meadows and e North Ridge and one- - and lots for Skyline Heights. A re EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY public hearing will be held on the zone change application on Sept. 5 at 2 p.m. at the courthouse. The Commission also gave approval to an agreement that will have Utah Power and Light collect Sanpete Fire District and Landfill assessments, for a small fee, on its monthly billings to customers. It also dealt with a whole flock of what are routine matters; among them: Linda Stokes request for better county road maintenance in two-acr- . . Beth's definition: trivia: hogwash. My definition: trivia: balderdash, but a lot of fun. -- 1 by Max E. Call this week, I had to As I was walking to work one morning in the middle of the parked walk around two pickup trucks waved road as the two drivers carried on a conversation. They at the inconvefelt us angry at me, and I waved back. None of ' nience. same thing myself. That s I didnt really mind. Ive done the in a small community such one of the fringe benefits of living we want and at as our Sanpete cities. We park about any place in cars the fourth of Sanpete County any convenient angle. A never officers and the stop them are missing a headlight unless its me! We get away with parking our old clunkers out in the streets, - sometimes years and leaving them for months at a time even though there is a city ordinance against such action. We drive with no mufflers, and dont wear our seat belts. Mothers still foolishly stand their kids beside them on the seat, and would be hopping mad if a patrolman pulled them over for - - -- it. We have laws against such things, but most are not enforced. But it could be worse. You should be glad you dont live in the Farmer s Pennsylvania. In certain sections of that state, road: Automo- for the rules Society set up some biles traveling on country roads at night must send up a rocket clear. Also, if a every mile, then wait ten minutes for the road to side of the road driver sees a team of horses, he is to pull to one and cover his machine with a blanket or dust cover that has been painted to blend into the scenery. And in the event a horse refuses to pass a car on the road, the ow ner must take his car apart and conceal the parts in the bushes. They are admittedly old laws, but they arc still on the books. We all know it is against the law in Utah to hunt from a vehicle, but did you know that it's against the law to fish on horseback? And in Kansas, no one may catch fish with his bare hands. (I didn't know there were any fish in Kansas!) So even if you hac to walk around a couple of pickups stopped in the middle of the road, this is still the best place in the world to live. Not so trivial: If you realize that you arent as wise today as you thought you were yesterday, youre wiser today. New Rotary Club members to introduce themselves Monday, July 7th w ill be an opportunity for the Ephraim Rotary Club and interested community members to get to know the club's two newest members. Warren Benincosa and Tricia Call. Both Warren and Tricia arc relatively new to Sanpete County. 1 Warren Benincosa is em- ployed by Sanpete Valley Hospital and heads up the lome I lealth Care program for seriously andor terminally ill patients who want to remain at home, functioning as independently as possible. Warren moved from Oklahoma to join the staff at Sanpete Valley I lospi-ttwo years ago, and joined the Ephraim Rotary Club five months 1 al ago. Tricia Call is employed by Inc. She hails from Cache Valley (Wellsville for those who know where that is), and has done everything from milking cows to singing in a rock group, to psychiatric hospital program secretary, to working for her own printing company for eight years. Tricia has ancestoral ties to Ephraim (Andersen). She, too, joined the Rotary Club five months ago. 1 he public is invited to attend this Rotary Club program at 12:15 p.m. Monday, July 17th at the Snow College Badger Cafeteria Dining Room. Messenger-Enterpris- e, To Mesquite u, making another county officer happy: it gave Kristine F. Anderson, County Clerk, permission to purchase a state computer, out of her budget, for voter registration. In appreciation, she passed out small packages of peanuts. Page 2 Webster's definition: trivia: Insignificant which or inessential matters, that little imporof comes from the street, tance or significance, trifling, ordinary, commonplace. -- 1 1 self-interes- Trivia ests 1 1995 Thursday, July 13 e, Ephraim Sauna Richfield Two Night Package July 28 & 29 Snow College Coaches PROPERTY MANAGER WANTED PART TIME - NEEDED BY 995, TO MANAGE COLLEGE STUDENT HOUSING NEAR SNOW COLLEGE. This is an exciting opportunity to help college students live in a well managed and maintained facility to attend college. Interviews will be held Saturday, July 1 5, 1995 in Ephraim. If interested, please call Ken Holmstead, ERA Mountain Land Realty, and leave yout Pleasant Grove, Utah, (801) name and telephone number. You will be called on July 14 to schedule an appointment. 785-50- 13 Individual Women's Per Person Double Occupancy Basketball Camp July 27-2- 9 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost: $40 Registration forms available by calling Carol Jacobsen at 283 - 4021 ext. 1371. Package Includes $100.00 Fun Book Transportation Lodging For individual or group reservations please call 8 a.m. - 7 p.ni. MST Si QAS. UlOIT HOUNTuiiNfl MltQU'TI MIVADA Single rales are available. Must be 21 years ol age or older. Rales do not mcl"uc las and arc based on double occupancy. Advance reservations required. |