Education must be priority

Talk about new math. After years of figuring out how to deal with surpluses in tax revenue, Utah lawmakers seek to close a $1 billion deficit in the 2010 budget cycle.

One proposal could result in eliminating five days from the public school year. If this occurs, local school districts would decide how to handle the cuts, whether by slashing paid professional development time or, if necessary, cutting instructional time.

Lawmakers have attempted to hold education harmless for 2009 as the state has experienced a considerable downturn in the economy. But as the budget picture becomes more bleak, even public education is expected to experience reductions. Last week, the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee recommended cutting the 2010 budget for public education by $444.6 million. Idling schools could save about $12.5 million a day statewide if all districts participate.

If there's anything positive about this plan, it's that local school boards will have the say in how the cuts would be implemented. The general consensus among school districts is to eliminate professional development days before classroom days, according to state education officials.

Some school districts have as few as two professional development days a year, while others may have eight or nine. While cutting those days seems preferable to closing school for a day, it means less time for teachers to plan, grade papers or undergo training to enhance their teaching. It's a qualitative concern.

School districts will have to weigh that against the loss of instructional time. This is a vexing situation, too, because the United States is already behind its global peers in the number of hours of classroom instruction that students receive.

Cutting school days also presents challenges for children of working parents who may need to take time off from work to care for their children if school is canceled. Another alternative may be to find child care.

The Legislature's budget issues are profoundly challenging, particularly as lawmakers consider the drastic step of possibly cutting into instructional time.

Before these cuts are levied, lawmakers must make great strides to wring out additional revenue from other sources, such as raising the tobacco tax and increasing vehicle registration fees. The Rainy Day funds should be tapped to a reasonable degree.

The math problem is such that the Legislature cannot dig itself out of this budget challenge without pain for all funded state agencies. Protecting the state's public education system, however, should remain a top priority.