Show ' 'r -- v --v if "f "1 '“ r-'Vt t fc M 1 ‘'V'1 Viaht conclusions are more itkefy to be gathered out of s multitude of Q10I1 I mmaJ UmJ iwm Muuyi imhn Anwrten Jurist (1I72-1M- Page 18 Thursday July 27 200Q The Herald Journal Logan Utah Roglonal vlow Mgi SSSS Let’s elevate the bar on teachers’ performance From the aren't already experimenting with Standard-Examin- er u merit pay Districts in Denver Cola and Columbus Ohio have already signed contracts with some teachers that guarantee bonuses when specified goals are reached According to The New York Times a dozen school districts in six states have already embraced the idea of merit pay on the theory that incentives for teachers to make more money will result in better education for students tab is making an increased investment in education so now it’s time to start holding teachers accountable for student performance That means rewarding teachers who do a great job and dealing with teachers who don’t For many teachers these are fighting words They argue that the Legislature's promised reinvestment in Utah’s public schools is not only in its infancy but it remains to be seen whether die commitment expressed in the 2000 session will be extended through 2001 and beyond That’s a legitimate concern And we’ll all find out how committed the Legislature is during the next session Meanwhile it’s time to start getting serious about teacher accountability and merit pay Should we begin applying a business model to education: pay according to performance? Delegates to the National Educa- Beyond the basic question of whether or not merit pay is a good idea there’s the decision about applying it teacher by teacher or school by school Many experts seem to agree that application of incentives and rewards is the better idea of the two otherwise you may have teachers competing with each other not to teach classes like English as a second language or others in students are which enrolled Now is the time for Utah lawmakers and educators to begin looking seriously at what’s going on in other By HoMy Uppke Fretwetl states' As the fimding bar is raised for schools we must elevate the bar for teacher performance Let’s make sure bill considered by many to that money is buying the finest qualibe the most important conservation ty educational experience possible for legislation in years — and possibly all our students the capstone to President Clinton’s environmental legacy — is wending its waythrough Congress But watch out! The $3 billion legislacars food and babies Come on peo- tion known as the Conservapie grow-u- p and accept responsibilition and Reinfor actions ty your v f school-by-scho- ol tion Association’s convention last A week voted down a proposal to study linking pay with performance' The NEA is the nation’s largest teachers’ union That doesn’t mean local schools Your view People responsible not tobacco firms To the editor James Thomas made a statement in his letter condemning the tobacco industry for the thousands of people dying from tobacco related problems give us all a break Why don’t we Sue the automobile industry for tlie thousands of people that die every year in their products Let’s sue the gun makers for die people that are killed by their products in the hands of a few idiots thus is in the works now But most of all I think we Memorabilia I will not die from being morbidly people you see on the streets in Logan if they want to die from overeating that is their choice If smokers die from related illnesses that is their choice I wonder if the health care expenses for smokers is any greater than the billions spent to support teenage girls and their 363-63- offsprings?- 43 m ail - Tobacco and guns are great causes of America’ not Darrin K Smith Smithfield for the ds v 1 ‘ illegit-Aima- te rats but Republicans and even (R)-wou- Logan-Templ- e obese which effects the majority of signs of neglect Based on this track record why would anyone want the federal government to manage more land? Nevertheless this bill has received strong support from not only Democ- staunch supporters of private property rights Why? Because it is pork barrel politics at its best CARA would funnel billions of dollars to the with conservastates for land acquisitions Alaska tion and will home to two of the bill’s strongest in fact perpetsupporters Sen Frank MjrkQWski private landowners in uate tile degradation of federal lands' and Rep Dpii Yoirig n (R) ClinchrV&nfcrd Because bass protect CARA is vUgirrtaY Why? the etological health and' king-terin its approadh'to federal land rbea trig winner in theCARAisweep-stakes receiving $163 million annueconomic productivity of the valley’s management While the bill provides ally California tops even that with forest the landowners allow the con- a large pod of money for the acquisimillion every year Politicians tion of more federal lands it provides $324 servancy to manage and harvest trees find such numbers hard to ignore on their land Dividends are paid to no funds for addressing critical The federal government already the owners while the conservancy resource management problems and ' d of the land area of assumes the management risks and no reform for our ailing public land controls United States and continues to provides a steady stream of wood to the agencies This is a huge oversight at a add more than 800000 acres per local mills and businesses time when the poor and declining The pace will quicken much year The government could learn from condition of our public lands has is passed But these more if CARA rapidly been so that only examples It could sell lands funds for managing these new without assets such as wildlife habitat the catastrophic events are newsworthy lands are nowhere to be seen or scenic value and use the proceeds anymore Any land manager whether work- to manage lands with higher conserThe fires that raced through Los Alamos this spring and Colorado this ing for a federal agency or overseeing vation values Recreational lands ranch knows that could be made to summer reveal the perilous condition a private farm or pay their own jway resources comes at a price protecting most valued America's Tb of our forests — unnaturally dense protect in lands we must that shows PERC recent A study land federal reforpi and Forty million acres of 1999 federal land management alone management policies and encourage national forest land are at extreme excludrisk to uncontrolled wildfire And cost more than $66 billion private conservation efforts Until construction the costs of ing facility then we should not jump hastily onto that is just one of the problems creataid major repair And management a legislative bandwagon that will ed by federal land stewardship costs more than tripled from 1962 to only lead us further into the wilder-199- 7 In tiie Great Basin invasive nonjumpmg from $3 per acre to ness of mismanaged landscapes native species have devastated mildol-lions of acres of grazing lands In $10 per acre in inflation adjusted Yellowstone National Park sewage larq Unlike the federal government Holy Uppke Fretwel is a contributor to spills into nearby native trout conservation groups recognize that Writers on the Range a service of High streams At Gettysburg National Milis Many insist on Country News (wwwJicnorg) She is a management itary Park rain from leaky roofs an endowment costly cover to management research associate specializing in pubsoaks Civil War relics Even our before they purchase any new lic lands at the Political Economy costs national refuge system is showing land The Nature Conservancy Research Center In Bozeman MonL ack-War- In the spirit of Pioneer Day I would like to offer my memorabilia to the public If there are readers who need a specific old picture related to MonnoniSm Protestant churches Logan or Cache Valley in general I would love to help I have more than 3000 slides postcards prints photographs and copies in my collection I also am available for presentations and speeches to civic church or scout groups with interest in a specific historical subject Currently I am working on a series of videotapes depicting the pioneers of Cache Valley and the construction of the Most of the photographs and will be published for the first images time blended with interviews and stories from numerous local historians and residents when the project is complete Please contact me at or at dkseafal deseretlon-linecoby if I can be of help — on the Range recently announced a pUbrio buy a pristine Moll in the Pacific Ocean It is raising funds for both the purchase and for an endowment fund that will-bdedicated to the care and protection of this nature preserve Similarly the National Audubon Society requires an endowment fund to care for any land that it accepts as a donation In this way it guarantees that the lands will always be protected and that resources dedicated to existing Audubon lands will not be redirected to cover die costs of managing the new property Conservation groups have sought new approaches to help them cover the costs of land management over the long term The Nature Conservancy has created an unusual partner- hip-wit- availablelo public t To the editor: my stupid fault not the fault of Writers vestment Act (CARA) has little to do t Otto Gardner Logan deaths from heart attack I have smoked for 40 years and have never even once had a tobacco industry man hold a gun to my head to light up a cigarette If I die from lung cancer from smoking then that is Phillip-Morr- is f i need to sue the food industry for causing the majority of our citizens to be fat which is causing thousands of - Public lands: Is bigger better? ng m one-thir- ed fire-pro- ne 1 ' Other viows Cheney’s experience a compensation for Bush’s inexperience W 'V Scrippa Howard News Sendee I n a famous poem about the Mayflower pilgrims John Alden pro- poses to Priscilla Mullins on behalf of Miles Standish and she replies 'I “Speak for yourself' John’’ While not similarly romantic it looks as if something roughly like that happened as Richard B Cheney scouted about tb find a vice presidential running mate for George W- - Bush only to have Bush tell Cheney: You’re the one I want It’s a wise choice for many reasons and — impressively — a relatively nonpolitical one Cheney hails from Wyoming a state scarce in people and consequently scarce in political oomph He has been waking as an oil industry CEO in Texas but Bush as the governor of that for more pop- to die race: six terms in the House of Representatives service as GOP whip in die House chief of staff for President Find secretary of defense 4 ulated place hardly needs another Texan on the ticket ‘ But here is what Cheney will bring under President Bush success in the business world keen intelligence a balanced temperament an ability to articulate his thoughts well and a political philosophy very much the same as that of George W Bush him- self What immediately strikes an observer is that Cheney’s Washington experience serves to compensate for I y iwp WT stance instead of someone more noted for flash dash and big-sta- te heft At the moment the largest con- cern seemrf to be that Cheney once suffered heart attacks although a physician now rates his health as excellent His conservatism will not please one and aU but then making judgments on point of view is what elections are supposed to be largely abOUt IT Obviously enough it remains to be ticket seen whether a will translate into 'electoral triumph Vice President Gore himself a good choice as President Clinton’s running mate in two past Elections will have something to say about that as will his pick of a VP candidate Bush and Cheney will have to hope they will be as productive in seeking to head the government as John and Priscilla were in filling the land with people Bwsh-Chen- ey Y lilallard FHImoro yso ftetiasp The ClMOt Bush’s inexperience and what occurs to one next is that Bush deserves high credit for selecting someone of sub- ty Ktg Mn —5— — Sputa 0 O Oo Hrt WL Herald Journal - Jfe (A0P1A cau Ij ute ot& ir IA RgBgnanEisr J The 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