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Show tWlnSah lESastn Standard October 1. 1988, Page 11 MOWER ON KUED Duchesne Schools represented on TV Through the use of microwave transmission Duchesne County School Superintendent Dennis Mower appeared on Civic Dialog last Tuesday with four other educators. Appearing from the Uintah Basin Area Vocational School he responded to questions from commentator Ted Capner on the topic of .financing public education and the recent budget cuts. Also appearing were Dr. Keith Checketta, chairman of the state school board; Ronald Bingham, president of the Provo School Board; Elmo Turner, a principal at Monte Vista Elementary School in the Jordan School District; Associate Superintendent Bruce Griffin, from the State Office of Education. Capner opened the program with a teasier about public education not being "free, and how it is financed, he also touched on the. 3 percent budget cuts Governor Norm Bangerter has asked for from this current budget. Some of the programs discussed for cuts include busing, school lunches, and special optional programs like the giited and talented, kindergarten and drivers education. Mower was asked point blank during the program if he would prefer to cut out kindergarten or cut out the 12th grade - since studies apparently show children will make up the kindergarten material and many seniors only need one or two credits to graduate anyway. Mower said he would not prefer to cut either program because both are important to different segments of the public. With the concurrent enrollment in the district many seniors can graduate with up to bne year of college already completed by the end of 12th grade, he said. Dr. Checketta said he was in favor of vertical cuts (cutting entire programs like drivers education, elonentary school music programs and kindergarten) instead of whittling down the programs with horizonal budget . cuts. Mower stated the school district and the local board are waiting for guidelines from the state as to where to cut. A three percdnt cut in. the local budget will mean a loss of 8250,000 now. He pointed out that Governor Bangerter is telling the schools to prepare fot a six percent cut in the coming fiscal budget and the district personnel are already at work to find the additional areas . Times set for Parent Teacher conferences Duchesne County Schools will be having their parent teacher conferences night Thursday, October 2 and Friday, October 3. All school administrations would like to encourage parents to come out sometime during the allotted time and see how your child is dping in school. ' NeolarThursday, 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and .Friday, 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; East Elonentary: Thursday, 3:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon; Myton Elonentary: Friday only and at your convenience; Con Amore, Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thompson, Thursday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to noon; Roosevelt Junior High: Thursday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and ' Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Middle School, Thursday; 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to noon; Union High: Thursday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon; Tabiona: Thursday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Altamont Elementary: Thursday, 3:15 p.m. to 7;15 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon; Altamont High: Thursday, 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to noon; Duchesne Elementary: Thursday, 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to noon; Duchesne High: Thursday, 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Friday 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. For information telephone the school that you will be visiting. to cut. ; ' . ' ' One suggestion Principal Turner has was to cut kindergarten to a three-daa, week program. He said the- savings in this one area would be approximately Sll y - million. Associate Superintendent Gri-- . ffin said classes shouldnt be cut but with the six percent cut being suggested by the governor he saw a few areas that were less critical to cut: drivers edu. cation, kindergarten, elementary school music programs, gifted and talented budget, and even athletics that enough money to support themselves. Griffin did state the patrons of the schools muBt decide if they are willing to "fund excellence in education or risk the economic future and ultidevelopment mately the quality of life in the state. He explained that good education draws better jobs and employers to the state, thereby extra-curricul- dont generate providing a better quality of living for the residents of the state. Mower said, when asked directly by Capner, that a six percent cut as the governor has requested would probably require reduction in staff and cutting some basic education programs. A three percent cut would be painful enough but a six percent cut would require cuts into the critical areas. Dr. Checketta said when solutions are found, such as cutting . school lunches, they have a tendency to develop into other problems. Without school lunches in the secondary schools which is where the cuts in this area are being considered - the less than desireable fact of children leaving the schools to get their lunches will become a reality. It will deter the quality of nutrition and only save about 81.8 million. rw", r. ' - Cuts in the administration may become another area districts will have to look at. Some of the areas they briefly mentioned in the Civic Dialog program that have been added over the years are media specialists (instead of and psychological counselors. But as Dr. Checketta again pointed out, a cut here He brings more problems. explained the psychological Continued on page 14 FIRE A fire totaled a station wagon at the Ute motor pool last week. The apparent cause of the fire was from an exploding light bulb that caught the gas tank on fire. Roosevelt units responded as backup but were called back when the fire was extinguished. Damage estimate was not available at press time. t Progress is evident at old Toyack House Progress is still being made on the Toyack House in Roosevelt. With work going 'slow but sure' the building is being readied for an expected November 14 rededication ceremony. The Toyack House is the only building on the National Register of Historic Places in Duchesne County. It was given a stay from the School Board plans of demolition by the intervention of the Duchesne County Historical Society. The Historical Society has worked on gathering funds for the rennovation of the building in various ways. During Rough Rider Days and UBIC the society and a hamburger and drink booth. They plan to have a fund raising 'spook alley in the basement prior to Halloween and will be at the Holly Fair with a booth.. To date the group of concerned citizens have gotten about 83,000 cash donations with at least that much in donated labor and equipment time. Duchesne County, Roosevelt City, Lawrence Pike, local scouts and people from both Uintah and Duchesne County have volunteered work on in Commentator in the rural last week. Mower was asked to be on Front educators, because of the two-wa- y MOWER AND CAPENER ion about public education Capener was asking Dennis Mower a questpart of the state live over KUED's Civic Dialogue the program, which also included four Wasatch transmission available from the UBAVC system. Ted the building. The building has had the basement cleaned out, dirt has been dug and hauled from the building, the ground leveled, the upstairs cleaned, walls nearing readiness for replastering and painting, all with donated time. Washington trip Members of the Historical Society have realized it cannot all be done by volunteers in donated time and have searched for major funds from many sources. Two officers of the group traveled to Washington, D.C., in July seeking funds from the National Future Fanners of America. Ward Hicks and Brad Gale spent an entire week in the nations capital talking with the National FFA Board, visiting Utah's delegation, visiting other historical societies and getting lots of verbal help; listening ears but no funds. National FFA told them We commend your initiative in this project, but felt it was not in the FFA scope of the National Organization to fund projects of this nature. As a result, no funds will be available from the National FFA Organization for the request. Hicks said Senator Gam was sympathetic but claimed the government was broke." Congressman Nielson told him congress looses the 850,000 they were seeking between the cracks everyday. One of the ideas they brought back as a fund raising effort, was a calendar with historic or significant buldings depicted for each month. The calendar is in the process of being put together and will be sold in the coming weeks. Royalty was announced at the halftime of the game. Football players were not able to be pictured but the Royalty included: Queen Yvonne Collett, King, Lance Neilson,- - first attendants, Mindy Denver, Antar Torrez; second attendants, Danielle White and John Wilson; Senior Class royalty. UNION ROYALTY THe Homecoming -- Katrina Ames and Dino Cesspooch; Junior class royalty, Charlie Denver and Tommy Olsen,-- Sophomore class royalty, Raeleen Fausett and Trevor McKee. Smiley Denver and Ulla Ames helped escort their children onto the field. Needed: money Although there has been several thousand dollars of volunteer work at' the building the next things that are needed will require money. More money than the group has. Hans have been drawn up for the landscaping of the building and an agreement has been signed with the School District for the Historical Society to use the building. One of the requirements of the agreement is landscaping, but Duchesne's Superintendent of Schools has told them the Hoard recognizes the effort that has gone into the building and could provide that effort as fulfillment of the agreement. The Historical Society Hoard of Directors has decided before landscaping is done a couple of things should be done first. The building needs heating, water, a roof and windows. The first two will come soon but a new roof will come with the help of the Roosevelt Lions club this month. Windows will be reglazed and then eventually thermal-pane- s installed. The roof will need to be put on before winter to preserve the inside of the building and before the landscaping has to be trampled. landscaping is intended to lx? completed next year when a sprinkler system can be installed in the ground. Grass may be sprouting before that time but the full landscaping will take until next year to be completed. A new foot roof and reglazed windows will enable the building to be put into use as a meeting hall, office for the Historical Society, then eventually a museum and reception hall. The interior will be replastered, painted and the brick fireplace reinstalled. Eventually a staircase to the lowed level will be installed and the retaining wall around the building will be poured to form a courtyard. On the retaining wall will be installed petroglyph replicas and murals of historic events. The building will eventually become an archive of Uintah nasin history. Students will be eventually invited to visit the building and learn first hand of the history of the Hasin. see artifacts of the agricultural way of life, learn about their past. It will also be open for the general public to learn of these things. When students are taught Utah History little is taught of the Uintah Hasin. Hicks said he hopes to work on a Uintah Hasin history curriculum that will lie centered around the Toyack House Museum for use in part of the Utah History work. Most state history texts only briefly mention the Uintah Basin, so the need is already there. Towards dedication November 14, 1936 was the Continued on page 14 |