With respect to local control of education note the following. No effort
was made to correct the grammar and spelling of the UEA letter -- but there
is a silent hope that the administrators will avail themselves of a HS
English class:
To: All Utah Educators
From: The Utah Education Association
Re: Legislative Intent Language - Salaries
Date: February 29, 2000
In what is being called a victory by the Utah Education Association,
leaders in the Utah Senate and House of Representatives today agreed to
allow school districts to maintain their local autonomy in making decisions
about teacher salaries and other education-related programs.
A proposed amendment in Senate Bill 3, the Minimum School Program Act,
says:
ìIt is the intent of the Legislature that School Boards, in their
negotiations with teachers, may determine to allow a portion of these
teacher compensation funds to be utilized for class size reduction,
textbooks and school supplies, so long as teachers with five or less years
in the classroom receive additional, significant compensation.î
By removing any actual dollar amount related to teacher salaries, the
so-called "ìntent language" allows local school districts to determine
where best to spend their resources and still address concerns related to
beginning teacher salaries. Most important, the language does not exclude
educators serving outside of the traditional classroom setting. The UEA
lobbied against the previous intent language which provided different
salary increases for media specialists, counselors and psychologists.
The compromise language allows for more local control at the school
district level and acknowledges that Weighted Pupil Unit funds may be used
for class size reduction, and textbooks and school supplies.
The amendment must pass the full House and Senate.