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Show Competition for teachers in Utah heats up Is your instrument gathering dust? ...Then bring it and yourself to the first meeting of the USU Symphonic Band "We have a public education crisis," said Rep. Tuesday, Sept. 5 Carol Spackman Moss, D3:00- 4:30 PM SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Holladay. — Rebecca Borrelli considRoom 104 Chase Fine Arts Center Utah is the fifth-fastestThis course counts for depth courso credit ered leaving her job as an growing state in the country art teacher outside of Akron, and has the nation's highest No Audition Required-it's not too latel Ohio, this summer to find birth rate. www.UBU.edu/music/onsemblos/band Call for more information 797-3004 a similar job in Utah where But it isn't producing a friend lives. At least, until enough of its own teachers to her colleagues said she was meet demand, evidenced by nuts. stagnant enrollment in the "I heard the only state state's colleges and the need that pays lower than Utah is to hire 46 percent of its new New Mexico," said Borrelli, teachers in 2004fromout26. of-state schools. While a dozen states pay That need for outside their teachers less on average teachers isn't unique. than Utah, Borrelli's decision Florida officials recruited to remain in Ohio because nationally this summer in of low teacher pay here illus- hopes of hiring 32,000 new trates what is leading to a teachers. In Nevada, recruitfinancial incentives arms ers have gone to Spain and race among fast-growing the Philippines to invite Western and Southern states teachers to Las Vegas, and experiencing soaring enrollthe district there has offered ments while their supply of one-time cash bonuses of teachers lags behind. $2,000 to help teacher Many states are recruitrecruits relocate. ing nationally with promises "When you're competing of tens of thousands of dolwith Clark County (Nevada) ^Professional Quality lars in bonuses for the best and they're giving signing Printing teachers. bonuses, it's tough, quite Utah is not among them. ^Business Forms frankly," said Rep. Kory sou are DPS That troubles lawmakers Holdaway, R-Taylorsville. ^Thesis, dissertations p r I n T i n G who know the state will need Often, the teachers Utah AWedding Invitations 630 West 200 North to hire about 40,000 new does hire from out-of-state 753-8875 educators in the next eight & Accessories could make more money if years to keep up with growth they stayed put. The average and the loss of current staff. starting teacher's salary in Utah was $26,130 in 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available. Nationwide, only seven states had a lower average starting salary. Utah's position improves only slightly, to 38th nationwide, for average pay of all teachers, which includes thousands approaching retirement who tend to earn the most. To help recruit and REGULAR PRICE $ 4 3 0 retain the best teachers, about 36 states are providing bonuses for those who pass the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards test, a voluntary, rigorous examination that usually takes more than a year to complete and costs $2,500 to take. Not surprisingly, the •states with the most boardBY BROCK VERGAKIS Associated Press Writer Get Back to Straw One. We Can't Print Money.... Now ON SALE 2006-07 SEASON Student must present: USED Demo Skis • Current school schedule • Photo ID now on SALE! Sale applies to High School Students also! Those under 18 must have parent sign release. Please call 435.563.5677 for appointment to purchase your pass. 1351 East 700 North Logan www.skithebeav.com beaver mountain GREAT MEXICAN FOOD House of the Famous Fajitas, Seafood and Much, Much More. Banquet facilities - UP to 100 people. Mon-Thurs 11 a m - 10 pm Fri-Sat 11 am-11 pm • Sun 12 noon-10 pm Call Ahead for Carrvout! I , Aug. 28 - Sept. 30. "We're talking about a salary at a level of just barely being manageable, just barely able to survive. Anything the state can do at all to enhance educators salary is significant," he said, A 2004-2005 Utah educator supply and demand report presented to legislators this summer says the state may need to begin offering financial incentives used in other state to recruit and retain teachers. The report says that could include salary adjustments for certain subjects, entryyear and retention bonuses, low-interest mortgage loans and scholarships for those who commit to teaching in the state for several years. Sen. Brad King, D-Price, said offering incentives tied to performance through national board certification might be the state's best shot at increasing pay with a Legislature that demands accountability. This year the Legislature took a step toward getting more of its teachers certified by allocating $500,000 to help pay for the tests. Utah ranks 42nd nationally for board certified teachers, with 84. No money is allocated for financial incentives for those who pass it. King said any financial incentives could help. He should know. In 1980 he left Utah to teach in Las Vegas because the teaching salary there was $700 a year more. "For a young family that was a significant amount," he said. "That was about the time Nevada started getting ahead of us." Educators and lawmakers acknowledge that while pay is a significant factor in recruitment and retention, it's not the only one. They're exploring mentoring and other programs that could help. Borrelli says ultimately she could live with a lower salary if it brought her to the mountains where she spent her days this summer. Just not right now. Kempthorne: Alaska pipeline ills shouldn't bar new drilling there PRUDHOE BAY, (AP) - Interior for energy development, including the Secretary Dirk Kempthorne was getting his potential 2 billion barrels of oil beneath an first look Wednesday at BP Alaska's pipeline environmentally sensitive area near Lake corrosion that shut down some North Slope Teshekpuk. Environmentalists want to keep oil production, but said the problems should the area off limits to oil companies. not prevent new drilling in some environKempthorne on Tuesday took a helicopter mentally sensitive areas. ride over the lake area that has become the focus of a new dispute over Alaska oil drillKempthorne, on a three-day visit to ing. He said afterward that he's convinced Alaska's oil fields, toured an oil processing facility operated by ConocoPhillips 60 miles a restricted drilling plan can accommodate energy development and wildlife protection. west of Prudhoe Bay, where he was told its practice is to run pipeline "pig" tests to "We're set to go forward," said guard against corrosion every two years. Kempthorne, whose department will sell oil BP had conducted only one "pig" test of its leases to nearly 500,000 acres north and east of Lake Teshekpuk late next month. It pipeline _ in which a device is inserted into will likely be a decade before oil is actually the pipe to gauge wall thickness. That was taken from the area. back in 1998 and it was only a partial test. Instead, the British-based petroleum giant The lease plan includes limits on surface had used what it has since acknowledged is footprints, creation of corridors that will less reliable ultrasound testing. be off limits to drilling to allow for caribou migration, and buffers to protect geese moltConocoPhillips' Alpine field is the most ing areas, said Henri Bisson, the Bureau of modern on the North Slope and uses direcLand Management's Alaska director. tional drilling to limit the surface footprint of its drilling wells. Also, while the Prudhoe In his first trip to Alaska's North Slope, Bay pipes are 30 years old, those linking the Kempthorne was to get a briefing on the Alpine field to Prudhoe are only six to seven pipeline corrosion problems during a tour years old. of the Prudhoe Bay fields Wednesday. "We want to make sure there's not a repeat of ConocoPhillips, co-owner of the Alpine field with Anadarko Petroleum Corp., plans that," he said. aggressive exploration on the North Slope, Also on his schedule was visiting the site holding significant leases in the National where a pipeline leak last March spilled Petroleum Reserve Alaska, including one on •270,000 gallons of oil. the verge of production. Aides emphasized that the Interior "We are going to be active on the exploDepartment has no regulatory authority ration side," said George Storaker, vice over pipeline maintenance and that the president for North Slope operations for Prudhoe Bay fields are on state land and not ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. He said the subject to federal leasing. But Kempthorne Alpine field, which produced 130,000 said the lessons learned from the BP probbarrels a day, "is on the decline" and new lems might be used when setting requireresources must be developed. ments and standards for future federal oil leasing. ConocoPhillips has its eye on the NPRA, an area the government set aside in 1923 Prospects dim for salmon fishermen • Buy One Meal at Regular Price • • Receive $5 OFF Second Meal!' Valid on any dinner combination. SundayThursday after 4 p.m. Must present student ID and coupon. Not valid for takeout. Offer good certified teachers are those offering the best incentives, such as paying for the tests and providing large financial rewards. Most states also allow board-certified teachers to waive into the state without taking additional state certification tests, allowing some teachers to shop around for the state with the best offer. North Carolina leads with 9,817 board-certified teachers and pays a 12 percent pay differential to all who become certified. In South Carolina, which follows North Carolina and Florida with 4,443 board certified teachers, teachers are given a $7,500 a year bonus for the 10-year duration of the certification. Education officials there say it's done wonders to help retain teachers since 1999, when the bonuses were first offered. Nearly half of all new teachers in Utah quit within five years, often citing pay. In southern Utah, some choose to commute to Nevada to earn a higher salary, said Washington County School District human resources executive director Lyle Cox. Washington County is home to St. George, the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country between 2000 and 2005, according to Census figures. The district had to up its starting salary to about $29,000 this year to help recruit more than 200 new teachers. "It was probably the single most important administrative decision to recruit people this year. Had we not done that, we would've been in a severe crisis," said Cox, who is still hoping to fill vacancies. The pay increase seemed to help stem the exodus to neighboring Clark County, Nev., where the starting salary is $33,070. Last year, 90 teachers in the district came from Utah. This year, it's down to 60. 1079 N. Main 753-4084 | ECIIIEAT MEXICAN FOOD«| SACRAMENTO (AP) - A relief package backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to send millions of dollars to California's ' salmon fishermen and coastal communities appeared doomed Tuesday in the Legislature. The bill would have provided $5 million in grants to salmon fishermen and $20 million in zero-interest loans to fishermen and coastal businesses such as ice houses, bait shops" and others that depend on the beleaguered industry. The money would be on top of emergency funds they already are entitled to under a recent federal disaster declara- tion. Most West Coast salmon fishermen are expected to land just 12 percent of their normal harvest this year after the federal government imposed severe restrictions. In a statement, Schwarzenegger blasted the Legislature for not taking action on the relief package. "It is a great disappointment and mistake for the Legislature to block the passage of this important legislation," Schwarzenegger said. ''We cannot turn our back on those in need of this vital relief package or force these Californians to wait for federal help." * |
