Comments about ‘Utah Legislature: Education takes a small hit in final budget’

In Nebraska and South Carolina the tax is .17 cents and .07 cents. Here in Utah $1.00.

Sad, sad day for our kids.

This legislature has been a total joke.

Their legacy will live on for years as one of the worst things to ever happen to our kids.

Yet they will slap themselves on the back and say, "job well done."

Pathetic.

it shows that the acting govener isnt a man of his word of no new taxes and if you want to attack unhealthy things for our kids then tax sweets and fast food because obeseity is our epidemic now

The legislature likes to remind us that education is a behemoth and sucks in over $1 billion dollars a year, but let's put it into perspective folks. The entire budget for this year is $11.5 billion dollars, yet they complain about how much education costs. I just wonder what state programs suck up the other $10 billion dollars? Obviously there are much larger programs out there than education.

Of the $11 billion budget, public education gets about $3.4 billion, not $1 billion. You can look it up on the Governor's website. The $3.4 billion and the $11 billion include federal dollars and several (but not all) property tax levies.

I love how the article discusses Republicans and doesn't even mention Democrats. That is what our state legislature is all about- Republicans. Whenever you have only one party in charge (either Democrat or Republican) bad things happen to the people under that system. Balance and compromise is how government shold work.
Instead Utah is run by an Oligarchy. We have no sense of a Republic in this state anymore- gerrymandering has made it so that the less conservative people will never have a real voice in our state so don't argue that Utah is all conservatives and that congress represents the make up of Utah.
We need to switch to a true primary election system instead of the caucuses that are run by an elect few in Utah.

make sure you thank every smoker you see for funding your kid's education, since apparently it isn't important enough for you to do yourself, according to the "GOP legislature".

here's to hoping that people don't have short term memories come next election.

I think, given the circumstances of the economy, that our governor and the legislators have done a good job. Other states would have simply taxed the pants off their citizens, but I really think this is the best they could do with a bad situation. This is a responsible budget.

You're right, One party system. Democrats aren't mentioned because their supporters don't show up at the polls. (Of course, gerrymandering doesn't help.) We moderate Republicans feel misrepresented because the far right seems to have taken over party leadership.

We don't need a new system. We just need to show up at the caucuses this month. Our apathy created the oligarchy.

I'm waiting to see the annual list of pet projects and building boondoggles to see if the education cuts were really necessary. Release the pork!

oh, I am so delighted with the unfunded 11,000 new kids, and the budget cut on top of that. Just delighted. I would do a cartwheel if I could. Good job guys. Stay upbeat. Now you should have time to waste on a few more unconstitutional Message Bills that bear no relevance whatsoever to the people of this state.

If you don't like the 'one-party' rule by Republicans here in Utah, then you're welcome to move to Massachusetts and enjoy the 'one-pary' rule in the Commonwealth by the Democrats.

Seriously, if you want to change the imbalance of party representation here in Utah, then get some decent Democrats with common sense solutions to run against incumbent Republicans. Those solutions have to be attractive to Independent voters, otherwise you will get nowhere in changing the political makeup in this state.

I am supposed to be delighted that my kids education has been even more compromised by a subsistence budget? I don't think so guys. I really miss Governor Leavitt. This Herbert guy is a spineless yes man. We'll see next November.

"Herbert and leaders have already decided that no new money would go to schools next fall. Thus, the estimated 11,000 new students already aren't being funded.

That would automatically reduce the state per-student funding formula by around $90 per student, or a 4 percent reduction from what schools would see in a normal budget year."

Last year the education budget was cut. This year education has been cut. Ask your children, how many students are in each class? This is not a small cut and this not "education held harmless."

With the retirement pension cut for new hires, who will choose to be a teacher?

Our children are our future.

There is an old saying "Don't eat your seed, no matter how hungry you get in spring, put the seed into the ground so that you may eat next year." We are eating our seed instead of using the rainy day fund to sow for the future.

If we don't pay now, we will pay later, to use another cliche'.

I am a nationally known, award winning Utah teacher with 20 years experience in the classroom. Here's my message back to legislators who think that I should be "delighted" with "just a small" reduction in state funding for education: Good-bye. I have just e-mailed back my acceptance of an offer of employment from a school in another state.

It is amazing at how the "one" party rules the state, won't admit they made a mistake in changing to out wonderful flat tax and how that impacted the education funding. Read the front of your tax return booklet, "all state income tax dollars fund education". The legislature won't admit it's wonderful flat tax actually cut more than 500 million from the education funding, and god forbid that we restore it during an election year. They would not get the campaign contributions from the very fat cats they helped, so no re-election, no more socking away that retirement nest egg (campaign contributions they get to keep). Just think of people like the ex Speaker of the House Curtis, the reports prior to his loosing the election is he had over $300,000.00 in his campaign funds, which by their own rules, he can keep and spend as he wishes. We really need to give them all retirement, get new ethics laws in place and put in representatives that don't consider themselves gods over us all.

Herbert didn't want education cuts, or a tax on cigarettes. He then agrees to both and his chief of staff says that he got mainly what he wanted? So did he really tell us what he wanted or was that just some stupid political stunt for when he runs next?

Too simple. Schools exist to educate students. Thus, cancel all sports programs and there will be a ton of excess money for academics.

I love those words "more or less." As a teacher, I can attest that cuts the past two years have been "more," not less. All our supply budgets were cut; there has been less money for student activities the past two years, and we teachers had six professional development days cut this year. And the issue of 11,000 new students isn't even considered. None of the teacher bashers in the legislature have accepted my offer to come spend a week in my classroom to show me how to be a better teacher. Cowards. And yes, I can't wait to see what pet projects get funded and how much money they spend defending their stupid nanny laws in court.

I love it when I hear "Education needs to take a hit just like everyone else."

When the business owners were making money hand over fist, where were the "Let's spread the wealth with education" comments? They didn't exist.

Utahns agree to have large families. The ratio of adults to kids is not proportional to any other state. That is why Utah is the lowest in the nation of funding education (per student). Families average 4 kids in Utah...in other states the average is about 2 kids per family. Other states have larger populations, which means more adults (tax base).

Utahns should expect (if they don't already) that they will pay more taxes than any other state to fund education.