OCR Text |
Show UTAH FOUNDATION REPORT Sixty Per Cent Increase in Nation's School Fund Possible Through Equitable Effort Funds for public schools in the United States could be increased by 60, if all states were to make the same relative rela-tive tax effort as does Utah. This point was emphasized in a report released this week by Utah Foundation, the private, pri-vate, non-profit tax research organization. State and localrev enues State and local revenue sources produced $6.2 billion in all of the states for the 1951-52 school year, representing 2.56 of the total individual income of the nation. Utah provided $11.7 million of state and localTevenue to the public schools In that year, or 4.09 of the total income payments in Utah. Had all states taxed as heavily as did Utah for public school purposes, another $3.7 billion bil-lion would have been available to the schools of the nation, an increase of G0 over the actual revenue from state and" local sources. These calculations are based on the Jatest official data (1951-52) supplied by the U. S. office in Washington. According to the Foundation report, "every state, including those listed ns 'poor', could provide pro-vide substantial additional revenue rev-enue for schools by bringing its relative tax effort up to that of Utah." Top3 Nation Foundation analysts point out that "although Utah ranks high in school load and low in financial finan-cial ability, it is nearjy always rated at or near the top of the nation in educational achievement." achieve-ment." The principal factors be hind Utah's high ranking In educational ed-ucational accomplishment, according ac-cording to the Foundation, arc "(1) the organizational efficiency efficien-cy achieved in the state through consolidated school districts and (2) the superior financial effort made by the people in Utah to support public education." "Differences among states in their ability to support schools have been narrowing during the past 2.") years," tlie report reveals. re-veals. Hctween 1930 and 19")2 the differences have been reduced by near.'y one fourth. Foundation analysts predict that "it seems probable that there will be an even further narrowing of differences differ-ences in ability to support, education edu-cation among the 48 states in the years ahead." Federal Load In analyzing Federal aid trends in education, the report brings out the fact that the Federal Government Gov-ernment was engaged in a total of 298 separate educational programs pro-grams during the 19-19-50 sciool year. These 298 programs were administered by 38 different Federal Fed-eral departments' and agencies. The report points out, however, that most of these Federal programs pro-grams adopted in the past have had limited objectives and were not designed to support public education in general. Federal aid accounted for slightly more than six per cent of all school revenues in Utah during dur-ing the 1953-51 school year, according ac-cording to the Foundation report. Most of this Federal aid was dls'-tributed dls'-tributed to those school districts that were affected by the loss of taxable wealth resulting from Federal ownership of property and by Increased enrollments brought about by Federal defense de-fense activities. State Retains Lead "While Federal activities in the field of education have been extensive, ex-tensive, direct responsibility 1it general public education has remained re-mained with state and local governments," gov-ernments," Utah Foundation eon-I eon-I dudes. All recent attempts to se-jcure se-jcure general Federal aid for the . operation andor construction of I elementary and secondary schools have failed. Recently a 25-member commission commis-sion created by Congress to study stu-dy intergovernmental relations recommended against any general gener-al program of Federal assistance to elementary and secondary education. ed-ucation. It recommended that responsibility re-sponsibility for providing general gener-al public education continue to rest squarely upon the states and their political subdivisions. Utah's 00-man Tublic Schoo.1 Survey Sur-vey Commission in 1053 also cautioned cau-tioned against soliciting Federal Feder-al aid to meet the state's school financial problems, the Utah Foundation study notes. |