From Deseret News archives:
Utah legislators adamant each teacher get full $2,500
In fact, Senate President John Valentine said, he'll go ahead with an audit of the official roll of certified teachers, even if Utah Board of Education officials find a way to give the whole $2,500-per-teacher pay raise.
Valentine and other leaders were upset after a committee of top lawmakers heard disquieting information from state school leaders Tuesday.
"It was our intent that each teacher get (a gross) raise of $2,500," said an upset Valentine after hearing from State School Superintendent Patti Harrington and Pat Ogden, one of her assistant superintendents, that some teachers may receive less than $2,500, depending how each of the 40 independent school districts allocate the state funds.
No way, said one legislative leader after another during a meeting of the Executive Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill.
The whole $2,500 will be given — and be given in a way that teachers can see the legislative pay raise — or lawmakers will know why.
At issue is the number of certified teachers in the public schools. During the session, legislators asked the Utah Board of Education staffers for a total of all working teachers, then allocated enough money during the 2007 Legislature to give each of them a $2,500 ongoing raise this coming school year in addition to a one-time $1,000 bonus. They were told there were about 24,000 teachers.
To make sure they had enough cash for each teacher and to "pay" for certain school district liabilities, like Social Security, the bill's sponsor, House Assistant Majority Whip Brad Dee, put more than $2,600 per teacher into the expenditure bill.
But even that didn't turn out to be enough, legislative leaders were told.
After that budget was set and lawmakers adjourned Feb. 28, a new count provided by districts "found" another 200 or so teachers. And so the total money allocated no longer allowed for $2,500 each.
Why the original low count, asked House Majority Leader Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara.
District bosses "are smart people," said Ogden. And now that funds were actually tied to the exact number of certified teachers, well, maybe there were a few more teachers than originally thought.
"That is quite an indictment" of the honesty of district superintendents, said Clark as a low mumble spread through the room.
Valentine, R-Orem, was more blunt. In a clipped voice, the Senate president said he would call for an official audit by the legislative auditor general of school district teacher head-counts to find out what happened.
