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Show j-fotmse belli (calls If or consolidation of scihool districts omi Suiminniit Coymity by Christopher Smart A bill currently on the docket in the Utah State Legislature's budget session would combine the three Summit County school districts into one, according to Representative Glen Brown (R-Summit County). Brown said the bill, intended to consolidate con-solidate administrative costs, is aimed specifically at three Utah counties: Juab, Sanpete and Summit. The bill, known as House Bill 101, would require each of the three counties to have only one school district, he said. The pending pen-ding legislation does not apply to any other part of the state. The bill is aimed at these three counties, coun-ties, Brown said, because all are relatively small and each has more than one school district. The fact that the suggested streamlining is being applied only to those three counties is "visually suspect," Brown said. "I get offended when they want to institute in-stitute measures somewhere other than their own districts," Brown said. He added that if the legislature really wants to restructure schools, the effort must be made statewide. The bill, which is officially sponsored spon-sored by Bountiful Republican Kim Burningham, is being pushed heavily by the Utah Education Association (UEA), Brown said. The measure, which he now gives a 5050 chance of passing, has been before the legislature previously, he said. In November of 1982, the Park City School District received a letter from Gov. Scott Matheson urging the district to consolidate with the other two Summit County districts (North and South Summit). In that letter, Matheson emphasized the recent educational budget constraints and the rapid increase in public school enrollment throughout the state. "Given the current crisis," Matheson said, "we need to explore ways to streamline the management of educational dollars at the state and local levels." He continued by saying that "the administrative reorganization of school districts represents one way to redirect funds toward more productive uses." Although the current bill is very specific in its scope, Brown said, it doesn't deal with the intracacies of consolidating school districts such as the differences between the districts' indebtedness. Among other things, he said, it could mean unfair tax burdens to certain sectors of the county. The bill, if passed, would leave many other unanswered questions, he said, such as what would happen to the Park City School District's voted leeway. "It could lead to lawsuits trom one end of the county to be other." The consolidation of school districts is just one of many education topics that the legislature is considering during this session which will adjourn on Saturday, Jan. 28. According to Brown, the legislature has spent a "considerable amount of time" this session on an educational reform package. The most pressing topic for the Republican Steering Committee he said, is a "career ladder" or "merit system" for teachers. The funding required to institute a merit pay scale on a statewide level has not been determined yet, Brown said. Although the governor has asked the legislature for an increase of $150 million in taxes this year to cover educational expenses, Brown doubts that the Republican-controlled legislature will adopt measures to in- m crease taxes to that extent. Brown said that the governor wants a six percent increase in the education budget, or about $40 million, just to maintain the current level of education before any reforms are considered. The legislature will probably appropriate ap-propriate increases in the education budget betweeen $50 and $75 million, Brown said. He explained that those funds most likely will go toward educational reform before minimum increases for maintenance are appropriated. ap-propriated. Other topics being considered by the legislature during this session are a mechanism to fund flood prevention and clean-up, and a bill to fund feeding of Utah deer herds this winter. |