Reader comments
Education leaders want spending leeway

Where does spending $3,000,000 on software for pre-schoolers fit in ?

The method of distribution of school funds by the WPU seems to be the cause of poor education in Utah. All schools have an overhead in operating and if the WPU is part of the overhead of school operations then it needs to be changed. Large schools get the money and small isolated schools get a pittance. All students regardless of size of school deserve the same benefits and equal funding. The WPU is determnining who is getting tax funds and who is not. There has got to be a better way of funding for students education and not favoring large versus small. Every tax payer and student has the same right to the best education possible. And if it means cutting the budget of large schools wasteing education time it is only fair that these funds be allocated to other schools. The board of education should put some priority on education and not on private developement for businesses. This is a fall-out proposal because they lost the ammendment issue to gamble with education tax funds. This is why the board of education is supposed to be elected and not an appointed by the governor 'buddy' position.

Why don't you try to find out? Make a few phone calls to those who bought the software have them explain it to you.

"To show the Legislature the importance of local control, the State Board of Education issued a resolution during a regular meeting Friday on education funding. It addresses the weighted pupil unit and Minimum School Program."

Ah, isn't that cute. The school board wants to actually feel like an equal.

Stephenson does not see the board as such, especially when they want to take away his 3.5 million pipeline for preschooler computer software.

I agree with the State Board resolution except that more mandates on teachers and schools come from the State Board and USOE (and the bigger district's bureaucracies) than from the legislature!

But I agree. We are funding extra programs before funding regular education and its basic needs.

I feel bad for teachers who are caught up in the politicization of education. How can teachers do their jobs when they are jumping through senseless hoops for paid bureaucrats? Who in their right mind would want to be a teacher in this chaotic frenzy where every body is an expert in education, except for the people who actually practice the profession--the teacher. Even the statistics that show that America is behind other countries is falsely manipulated in order for more politicians and private enterprise to tap into education funding. We need to go back to basics with how our education system is run and funded before we kick it and beat it to death.

A reasonable request from the State Board of Education. In other words, "we know funding is going to be tight this year, can we at least start with giving more local autonomy to the funds?" The only reason to argue with this is that someone with authority, but farther away from the classroom wants control.

This is a reasonable recommendation. Then if there is a problem, let the people complain to the district, the charter, or the state board. At least remove the Legislature from the decision making process after they have appropriated funds.