Deseret News | Reader comments: Canyons School District birthday party is Wednesday

Reader comments
Canyons District party Wednesday

Pastor88 | 7:09 p.m. June 29, 2009

With the current economy, can someone tell me the cost of such a party. Sounds pretty lavish.Are those private funds for all the celebration or is that part of the 8 million surplus of tax payer dollars being wasted?
Way to rub in the face of tax payers who with out representation had to share tax dollars from our school districts to fund the canyons.

Can anyone say AIG?

Anonymous | 7:19 p.m. June 29, 2009

Wow, a bus parade, how utterly exciting.

Change? | 8:00 p.m. June 29, 2009

I voted for the split into a new district.

However, I am very unhappy with the direction the new district is taking, beefing up layers of bureaucracy and administration at the top, instead of daring to eliminate the waste and inefficiency that has become the hallmark of the "professional education" establishment. Their mission is to teach our children in classrooms, not have plush offices and bloated staffing for overpaid top level officials.

They really need to call on some business expertise to take a serious look at their entire structure to eliminate that which is not necessary.

Utah students deserve better than we are getting from a new district which is little more than a split of one malfunctioning empire into two smaller fiefdoms.

Educators have to do more with less, just like us taxpayers who are getting bled dry to support them, with an unacceptably low level of funding actually reaching kids in classrooms.

How about some real changes from these people with virtually unlimited opportunity to improve the process?

Comments continue below

Joke's on you | 8:52 p.m. June 29, 2009

Way to go uninformed or overemotional voters. So many of you wanted to "reduce" educational spending and now you've succeeded in doubling the administration costs. Before, in the old larger district, there would be one district level administrator in charge of something. Now there are two, one for the old district and one for the new one. You've succeeded in doubling the costs. Way to increase government and your taxes. But I'm sure everyone that voted for the split was a Democrat. That must be it.

Twofer | 10:16 p.m. June 29, 2009

Fantastic now we have two of everything.

Canyons S. District | 12:27 a.m. June 30, 2009

"Let them eat cake."

opinion0731 | 8:56 a.m. June 30, 2009

Like it or not the split has happened, rather then complain about water under the bridge I recommend that we all make an effort to help both districts succeed with the unique challenges that they face, The west side with the new growth and the east side with rebuilding and updating aging schools.

As far as extravagance, I hardly think that a cake to celebrate opening day can qualifiy for extravagance. I have visited the Canyons school districts temporary offices in Cottonwood Heights and if there is one thing you can't accuse the Canyons of is extravagant spending. Most of the employees are working in unair conditioned classrooms on surplus tables, and from what I have been told they will be inhereting the old office equipment from Jordan when they take ownership of the Jordan offices. If you want to see a school district doing more with less, you will find it at the Canyons District.

I recommend that instead of complaining about the split that people find something constructive to do to help both districts succeed.

Anonymous | 9:54 a.m. June 30, 2009

Joke's on you,

Those who voted against the split were all the Democrats and a large portion of Republicans. THe reason Democrats would vote down idiocy is that the Democrats are pro-public education. The Republicans have been trying to dismantle or destroy public education for years with vouchers, district splits and the ever declining budget.

Opinion,

I don't begrudge the celebration, only question why they needed as many 100K administrators as the former District had with less than half the students. THey'd better serve the students by hiring more teachers than administrators, but they aren't ruled by common sense. Hiring Amy K. Stewart has ensured that emotional hurt is going to be re-examined EVERY week as she writes about the pain and suffering of the split. Amy can we stop writing about the past split and move on to WHAT Canyons is going to do now and in the future.

0731 Wake Up | 10:20 a.m. June 30, 2009

When you overpay administrators, it perpetuates more spending because they get raises every year. Canyons was bragging about a surplus, but they did nothing for their teachers.
As for paying not a dime by westsiders, please. They pay property taxes just like everyone else and their income taxes are part of the overall school spending plan. And Kennecott money paid for a lot of the existing Canyons schools, but the elite decided they couldn't be bothered with the growth areas in what is now Jordan District.

Opinion0731 | 11:07 a.m. June 30, 2009

Those of you who are getting upset about salaries. take a good look at what the going rate is for highly qualified professionals. The schools can't function effeciently with out the support of a district office. I beleive that two smaller districts will operate more efficiently even with the redundencies then one enourmous district.

As far as the wages are concerned, you can't just look at the numbers on a page and say I think they make too much. You aren't taking into account the requirements of the job, and the skills,abilities and education of the people filling those positions, and the going rate for that kind of talent in the market place. Any first year economics student can tell you that the labor market operates on supply and demand. When I compared the salaries of Canyons employees to those at Jordan it looks like Jordan is the rich side not the Canyons. The short of it is you need to be prepared to pay the makret rate if you want qualified professionals.

re: Anonymous 7:19 a.m. | 12:21 p.m. June 30, 2009

Yes a bus parade. And you missed the best part. They are going to drive down I-15 and thumb their noses at the west side!

Leo | 12:26 p.m. June 30, 2009

Anonymous 9:54 wrote, "Those who voted against the split were all the Democrats and a large portion of Republicans."

Let's see if I can add this up. OK, all of the Democrats - good. A large portion of the Republicans - got it. So, hold on, I've almost got it. That means that a small portion of the Republicans voted for the split and won! Sounds like they must have had the help of ACORN!

Anonymous | 12:33 p.m. June 30, 2009

You get what you pay for. You want the best administrators, pay for the skills they bring... Or you can pay second rate salaries then complain that you don't have the best administrators.

Its a market. You pay what it takes to get the best.

re: Anonymous 12:33 p.m. | 1:03 p.m. June 30, 2009

OK, assuming we're "getting the best". Then why do we need so many of them?

The DNews got a "scoop!" | 1:05 p.m. June 30, 2009

Since Canyons District hired two former Deseret News reporters for a combined salary of $186,000 per year, it's no wonder that this paper prints everything that CSD does, including parties.

Insider | 5:18 p.m. June 30, 2009

RE: Anonymous | 12:33 p.m. June 30, 2009

Wake up!!!

So great administrators can be paid outrageous salaries and great teachers get left behind.

Wow!! That makes sense!!

You see administrators take care of their own and when they do make mistakes (and they do) they get moved to an out of sight out of mind position and continue to draw large salaries.

Where on Earth are they getting the money to pay their PR person 100K? That right there shows what little they think of their teachers!

She has a journalism background...nothing in education and over the years I have found her reporting on education to be sub-par at best.

Yet Utah can't pay its' teachers and with the state of the economy our beloved legislature will use the poor economy as an excuse to pay teachers less and less.

All the while taking care of school administration and themseleves ...PATHETIC!!

Did I mention teachers insurance and taxes go up like everyone else. That's right teachers are not immune to inflation etc..

And there is a shortage...WHY???

Quick thinker: don't ever teach it is a sad little job to say the least.

re:Opinion0731 | 6:21 p.m. June 30, 2009

Sounds like you could be one those administraters we speak of!
Party hardy on the east side! So nice of you to raise everyone elses taxes and then go party. THANKS
To bad the West Siders hand no choice in any of this. With any luck, the canyons district will suffer through "their poor working conditions".
Maybe that will help them appreciate what they have done to so many in the valley.
Enjoy your cake and hopefully you will be prpared for the protest rally at the party.
Thanks for the info...see you there!

Anom | 9:45 p.m. June 30, 2009

Finally our day has come, finally my voice will be heard, finally my tax dollars will be going to my kids and not making new buildings to the west side. finally a man like Doty is in there with fresh ideas, a new attitude, the I can attitude. Do you know how tired I was sitting in JSD board meetings and now I am glad to be with Canyons. Sorry west I finally am going to see my dollars going to the East.

Tired of the pettiness! | 8:02 a.m. July 1, 2009

Cake & music (most likely from a radio or free band), at the old elementary school currently housing Canyon's administration, doesn't sound like a "lavish" party to me.

As to administration being top heavy & paid too much - it is no more so than most large districts in the state and in the country. Canyons may have titles that make it appear that they have more "directors", but they have no more staff at the top than Jordan District has currently. And their salaries are comparable, or less than, those doing the same jobs in Jordan and Granite.

I was not in favor of the split. I am still not thrilled this has happened. It has cost the state millions of dollars, and will continue to cost millions, but it is done. Let's move on with this and TRY to keep the most important factor at the top of the list - the CHILDREN! They have been lost in the shuffle of egos, dollars, and politics. That is the saddest part of this entire process. PLEASE, let's correct that travesty NOW!

J.J | 5:46 p.m. July 1, 2009

RE:Anom | 9:45 p.m. June 30, 2009

"Sorry west I finally am going to see my dollars going to the East".

Actually, the west side is paying the highest taxes in this mess!!

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