| OCR Text |
Show School finance committee submits recommendations By TOM HARALDSEN Editor-1 I The Governor's School Finance I1 Incentives Committee, a member of which is state senator Haven Barlow Bar-low of Layton, has presented its formal report to Governor Norman Bangerter. The committee recommended five proposals to be considered by the governor for possible submis sion to the 1988 state legislature. Among the proposals are creation crea-tion of a three semester system in secondary schools, differential taffing, conducting of pilot productivity produc-tivity and incentive experiments in three districts, an efficiency in transportation incentive program, and encouragement of early graduation. gradua-tion. First, the committee recommends that the state "encourage school districts to set up three semesters at the secondary level during the school year." The proposal would enable students to finish school in fewer years, as well as provide full-year full-year employment for school personnel. per-sonnel. Districts would be reimbursed reimbur-sed for those students based on the number of semesters they attended school in any given year. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 School finance incentives CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE Second, differential staffing was recommended, which the committee commit-tee said "would encourage the present experiment through the use of productivity and career ladder money and increase the use of technology." The committee stated that classrooms should be staffed by a qualified teacher and a variety of other levels of instructional staff which could include professional teachers, interns, teacher aides, paraprofessionals and other support staff. Salaries for the levels of staff would vary based on the level of preparation needed for the position. "Structure of the classroom would vary based on the subject area andor grade level," the proposal states. Third, the committee recommended recommen-ded that three districts conduct pilot productivity and incentive experiments. ex-periments. The State Board of Education would choose three districts dis-tricts applying for the program, and funds would be allocated to the pilot districts on the same formulas as used for all other districts. All expenditures would be at the complete discretion of those district school boards. Student progress would be measured and reported by the district to the state board, and progress at least equal, and hopefully hope-fully better, than under previous expenditure methods would be necessary for continuance of the program. The committee stated such a program should begin next school year and run for three years, recognizing the first year as a planning plan-ning year. On transportation, the fourth area of recommendation, the committee suggested a school finance law be amended to allow $200,000 of the pupil transportation, the "to and from school" appropriation, for .. next year to be used as incentive funding for districts with the most efficient transportation based on the state formula. Districts receiving the incentive reward money would then be allowed to spend it in areas of their discretion. The fifth area simply recommended recommen-ded that "students should be encouraged en-couraged to graduate early, upon completion of graduation requirements. re-quirements. Where savings accrue, part will go to the student and part to the district." Governor Bangerter will study the recommendations prior to this January's legislative session. |
