Chris Buttars may be on to something

It seems everybody is on Chris Buttars' case again, and you know what that means.

The Legislature is back in session.

Buttars, the state senator from West Jordan, can always be counted on to come up with something, shall we say, controversial.

If he's not proposing that divine design be taught in schools, he's trying to legislate against domestic partnerships or he's calling bills he's not fond of "black." He's ripped Brown v. Board of Education and the ACLU. He makes Larry the Cable Guy look politically correct.

Buttars' latest provocation is a proposal to eliminate 12th grade.

"You're spending a whole lot of money for a whole bunch of kids who aren't getting anything out of that grade," he said. "It comes down to the best use of money."

He claims cutting senior year — legally — would save $60 million.

The thing that scares me the most about Buttars' latest outburst is that I can see where he's coming from.

Not exactly. The outright elimination of 12th grade is way too harsh. It would put a number of teachers out of work, dump thousands of kids onto the street waiting to go to college or find a job, and deny seniors their time to shine in debate, band, drama, art and sports.

But anyone who has a senior — and we have one at our house — knows that it's a school year full of loopholes. Many seniors are already accepted into college halfway through the year. Class attendance often becomes more optional than mandatory. By April, the entire senior class is a lame duck.

What Buttars is pointing out, in his usual Archie Bunker style, is that we're not getting our full money's worth out of senior year.

And with the state facing a $700 million budget shortfall — and public school enrollment increasing every year — it's high time to look at ways to save money.

Cutting out 12th grade is just one rather drastic possibility.

Another one might be eliminating summer vacation.

Who among us hasn't driven past an empty school building in July and not thought, "What a waste"?

If the school year stayed at its traditional nine months but schools were always in session, with students constantly rotating, that would translate into a need for fewer new school buildings and a much better use of current facilities.