Show Favor Teacher Merit Pay Pay- Pay Representative Hill By Dy J DEAN HILL lULL Old wounds were reopened briefly on the floor of ot the House this past week with the passage of at and These two bills repealed acts of ot the 1963 legislature relating to a ac jc c c increase in the sales and use tax made that year You may recall that a c J c increase increase in in- crease in the sales and use tax was made and the funds from i this increase were earmarked for the building program for higher education SINCE TilE THE bonding hill bill has now passed in n both houses of the legislature this program I for a 67 million bond issue re replaces replaces re-I re re- re places the financing heretofore provided by the earmarked V c c sales and use tax 6 05 million of this his issue is set aside abide by thet the thea t a bonding bill for construction of specific items at our institutions institutions institutions of ot higher learning My personal position regarding regard regard- ing the bonding bill was that the 15 IS year repay period was tow too long costing the people of Utah from 12 to 14 million dollars dol dol- lars in interest depending upon what return might be realized from reinvestment of ot the bonding bonding bond bond- ing money GOV GOy RAMPTON rec ree o 0 m m- mended that the entire bond amount be issued and the moncy money money mon mon- ey cy be reinvested and then be beuse use used as needed neede in the building program While it ft may be technically tech tech- Ilk ally true that taxes have not been raised the bonding pro pro- program program gram will definitely result in increased ini total costs to the tax tax- pa pJ payers ers for fur the proposed build build- ing program Several alternate programs are available that could do the same job for tor less money but the 15 year bond program was accepted instead much to the dismay of ot the Republican side of ot the House The final vote was a straight party line vote ONE OTHER major issue has been settled 52 52 the school finance bill that Concerns concerns con Con- cerns terns us all A Senate amendment amend I ment went to the bill set fiet a restriction restriction tion lion that not more than Ihan 57 51 per percent percent percent cent of the state stale supported increase in inI increase in- in I crease crease- 57 51 per cent of about I could be u used ed in across the board hoard increase in ini teacher salaries This amounts to about per year increase The average teacher leacher wage in Utah for fur lOOt wa was per 4 I year which is slightly about 50 per year above the the average av avo average of the seven surrounding states While the amendment placed by the Senate was a bipartisan bipartisan bi partisan program the 57 51 per percent percent percent cent limitation was removed by the House in a near party line vote vOle AN AMENDMENT to the bill was offered by Rep Harding that would have required that an incentive pay program he te made mad a part of ot the salary in in- crease 1 This his is a needed and recommended of tho part tip up upgrading grading program for the leaching teach leach teaching ing profession Leastwise many of our business and civic segments segments segments seg seg- seg- seg ments will support and recommend recommend recommend mend this program It is not supported by however 1 J received an almost un ani- ani moos plea from alt all that I met I during the campaign that this should be the next increase program program pro pro- gram gram for the teaching profession profession sion I CONCUR in this thinking I feel that the problems facing the profession by not having an incentive pay program outweigh outweigh out out- weigh the problems that administration administration ad ad- ministration of an incentive problem may bring The Harding Hard liard ing amendment was defeated however l hy by a near party line vote Whatever might be said of the tho 1965 legislature I 1 believe that a sincere effort is being made to equitably solve the problems of this state and 1 hope and trust that I am a con cone to the solution and not pot nota pota a part of ol th the problem |