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Show Utah Education Association Takes Issue With Taxpayers' Association Analysis Of School Spending nation and only one of the seven Mountain States have a longer school year than we do," he haid. "In spite of the above accomplishments we cannot disregard the critical needs in our public schools which yet remain." Dr. Evans said We have said that an increase of 94 million is necessary if 1'tah's public schools are to just reach the average expenditure per pupil in average daily attendance of our MVMI surrounding states. "This is true rtahns have larger families. The school-age poulation (ages 5-17) amounts o 30.6 percent of our populs tlon. This places us third In the nation and second in the Mountain States. There are 22.9 births per 1,000 population in Utah: second in the nation, first In the Mountain States "Our teachers have a classroom load of 28 4 students, which makes their burden 4th heaviest In the nation, and the highest in the Mountain States. "And the average salarv of instructional staffs In Utah public schools is $8,950: 28th from the top in the nation and third from the bottom among the Mountain States. "All of the above figures Indicate depth of the public education's problem In Utah We are struggling to do the best we can with what is available What should be available. U-EA thinks. Is an expenditure per pupil equal to the average of the highest three surrounding states. "In 1987-68 Utah's expenditure was 16 percent less than the average expenditure for the seven surrounding states and 23 percent less than the average expenditure for the average of the top three. "Utah Is now getting more for its education dollar than might be expected. The Utah taxpayer Just can't expect to continue to get more and more education for less money," Dr Evans concluded |
