Fund Utah schools better

Utah is at the very bottom of the nation in per-pupil expenditures, 48th place in average teacher wages and has the highest student/teacher ratio in the nation; 10 percent more Utah public school students pass AP tests than the national average. Utah public school students' average composite score on the ACT test in 2010 was 21.8 compared to 21 for the nation, and 88 percent of our students graduate from high school, much higher than the national average.

I have reviewed the news articles that said Utah's education system is failing because when compared with other states with similar demographics Utah came out dead last in almost every education category. But what the news reports failed to mention was that all of those other states rank significantly better than Utah, and most of them were in the upper half in the nation in student/teacher ratio, average teacher wages and per-pupil expenditures.

It is obvious Utah is getting a lot for the money it spends on public education and that we have been blessed with a whole lot of teachers who continue to do their best in the classroom in spite of high class counts, less than ideal classroom conditions and less than average wages.

The question is whether Utah will be able to continue to fill teaching openings with high quality teachers if the lower than average wages and poor teaching conditions continue. The question is not whether the state has the financial capability of improving teaching conditions; the question is whether there is enough concern in our legislature for the public education system to do what is necessary to provide sufficient funding.

Fred Ash

Sandy