Demos want to use surplus for public education

She thinks the bill will face less opposition this time around because it gives parents a stronger voice in the process of determining whether a child will be held back. Rather than mandating retention if a student doesn't meet the requirements for advancement, the bill "encourages and motivates" parents to examine options provided by the school district, such as after-school or summer programs.

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, said when she was an English teacher in the 1990s, she observed significant progress in reducing class sizes.

"(But) today's class sizes are just unacceptable," she said, citing some instances of 40 or more students in a class.

After getting classes in the primary grade levels to a manageable size, HB134, which would cost the state $30 million annually for additional teachers and class space, would then go toward smaller classes in high school core-curriculum classes, such as math, English and science.

Moss thinks opposition to reducing class size comes from Republicans who want children to go to charter schools.

"I don't think it's (necessarily) a plot," Moss said, "but why shouldn't all kids be in smaller classrooms?"

Other education-reform bills being proposed this session would allow for voluntary full-day kindergarten; come up with a better system for determining kindergarten readiness; enhance the Utah code to strenghten language holding the schools more accountable for closing the achievement gap; and appropriate $4 million in one-time funding to expand school libraries.

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E-mail: pnagy@desnews.com