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Show School District Studies Effects Of Budget Cuts . , .. M 'f t Tfi - I t 1 ' f -s Iff; J f i ; .7 - - i ' N ', I ! -Vv - ' "1 ' ! r-' : " 1 U ), - 3 j Jamie Eddisn, 27, Logan, is taken aboard Life Flight No. 42 after a 90-foot , fall in the Calf Creek area, Monday morning. He was stabilized several i times on the trip to Garfield Memorial Hospital where he was prepared for the night to the LDS Hospital In Salt Lake City. Possible effects of recent legislative changes on schools in the Garfield County area were discussed this week by Supt. Jerold Judd. Judd said that committees are still being formed from the Society of Superintendents and the State Office of Education to implement guidelines for the latest legislation. Judd said that it will take some time to sort out the intent of legislative action with regards to the latest bills passed that affect education. He said the laws affecting schools will now go to the Utah State Board of Education where regulations for implementation will be assigned to committees for clarification and implementation. He noted that several bills are of major concern to Garfield County. He said that the Career Ladders-School Ladders-School Finance Act (53-7-18) explains ex-plains the Career Ladder allocations which were funded based on the formula of (a) a district's average daily membership; (b) the total number of teachers employed by a district; and (c) weighted pupil units allocated to the district. Garfield County's preliminary funding will be in the neighborhood of $119,505. Career Ladder Programs are intended, Judd said, to reward exemplary teachers and improve education through projects and incentives. The equalization costs per student (WPU's) will be the same as the 1986-87 year's allocation, he said, at $1,204 per student. "We did not receive an increase in the weighted pupil unit," Judd said. "This has serious implications for the 1987-88 raises in teacher salaries." Judd referred to- the March issue of Research Briefs of the Utah" Foundation which reported that "because of the several financial problems faced by the state and by local school districts in Utah this year, only minimal increases in teacher salaries were provided for 1986-87. According to an analysis of - salary schedules filed with the Utah State Office of Education, the average increase in teacher salary schedules throughout Utah this year amounted to about $275 or 1.5 percent. per-cent. In several of the districts, no increase in the salary schedule was provided." Garfield teachers each received an average of 4.7 percent increase through the conversion and use of Career Ladder dollars, Judd said. The Retirement Bill provides a (See BUDGET Page 2) Budget ( itamztmm 3 three-month window (May, June and July 1987) and allows staff with 25 years of experience to retire with no age limits required. "Garfield County has over 15 teachers and staff eligible under these new guidelines for early retirement," the superintendent said. He said the district does not yet know which employees will take advantage of the new early retirement program. "With the large number of retirees across the state, Garfield is advertising ad-vertising and taking applications to fill these anticipated openings," he said. The legislature also mandated that school soda pop and vending machine dollars should be used for textbooks and supplies. Judd said that Garfield Schools must find additional areas for cutting budgets to make up a $116,664 legislative cut. "It has been a very difficult legislative year," said Judd, "with legislated tax increases in-creases of over $160 million and with over $100 million of these dollars going to this year's budget and $30 million will be needed just to offset new student growth." "Things may have been worse," he said, "if the legislature had not made tough decisions this year." Judd said he and the board of education in Garfield County have appreciated the employees' patience and their willingness to cooperate in tough times. He said that principals have instituted in-stituted new student incentive programs. He noted with pride the Panguitch High School Bobettes 1st place win and the Bryce Valley Brycettes 3rd place win at state drill team competition. He said the Escalante High School Band had also recently performed at the State Capitol. He said each school has made significant strides in athletics, academics and other important areas. |