How well are Utah students doing?

November 28, 2009 (Salt Lake Tribune) - At first glance, Utah students seem academically superior to those in most other states.\r\n \r\n Utah students have a higher high school graduation rate than the nation on average; they have a higher average ACT score; and they meet or beat national averages on nationwide math, reading, writing and science tests.\r\n \r\n But a deeper look at the data shows Utah students might not be doing as well as they appear to be.

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Utah’s Low Property Taxes — A Political Minefield

November 12, 2009 (KUER Radio) - Property taxes are much lower in Utah than many other states — even neighboring states in the Mountain West. But voters have shown time and again that raising them is potential trouble for politicians. Even so, in a time of tight budgets, they may be the place elected officials look for new revenue. KUER\’s Dan Bammes reports.

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Is education still a priority?

November 10, 2009 (Deseret News Editorial) - Utah used to be known for the education level of its residents; but not anymore.\r\n \r\n A research brief published last week by the Utah Foundation used data from the census and the American Community Survey to track the state\’s educational trend since 2000. An earlier foundation report tracked it from 1940, the first year the census gathered such information, to 2000. The news isn\’t good.

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OUR VIEW: Falling in adult education

November 08, 2009 (Ogden Standard-Examiner) - According to the Utah Foundation, our state is falling behind in its rate of growth of college-educated adults compared to the national increase of college graduates.

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Utah Falling Behind Nation for College Graduates

October 30, 2009 (KCPW Radio) - A new report from the Utah Foundation shows the state is falling behind in national rankings for college graduation, particularly among young people. Foundation President Steven Kroes says the trend is concerning, and policymakers should act to reverse it.

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Taxpayers beef is with Legislature, not school board

August 09, 2009 (Deseret News) - The room is packed wall-to-wall with people whose facial muscles are tense, their eyes glaring and their lips turned down; when they talk, their fingers jab like knives through the air — these are the telltale signs of a property tax-hike hearing, one of the few times regular people show up for a local government meeting.

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Utah still ranks last in school spending

July 28, 2009 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Utah continues to rank last in the nation when it comes to money spent per student, and the gap between what Utah spends and what other states are doling out continues to grow, according to census data released Monday.

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Paying the Piper (Editorial)

March 12, 2009 (KSL Editorial) - The piper wants to be paid. He always does.\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n However, according to a recent Utah Foundation analysis of saving and spending in Utah in recent years, getting out of debt won’t be easy for far too many households in the Beehive State. The study raises serious concerns about how Utahns will cope financially as the recession deepens and the economy tightens.

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In our opinion: Toughest times still ahead (Editorial)

March 10, 2009 (Deseret News) - By now, most of us are familiar with the story of how we got here. On the banking side, it happened with risky mortgages that were subsequently chopped up and sold as securities to financial institutions far and wide. That mess may take years, and a lot of pain, to clean up.

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Herald Poll: Should auto fees rise $20?

March 06, 2009 (Provo Daily Herald) - As of this writing, it looks like the Legislature is going to raise vehicle registration fees by $20. But this year there are families that wish they’d try some other way to raise money.

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High debts in good times bite back Utahns in recession

March 05, 2009 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Utahns may be saving more and buying less as the result of the recession but for many the high debt levels they took on during the good times could make it especially tough to get through the trying times ahead.\r\n \r\n In most respects, Utahns were not much different people in the rest of the country, according to a new report by Laura Summers, a research analyst at the Utah Foundation.

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Utah approach to health reform is way too slow

October 27, 2008 (Deseret News) - My wife and I have started a new round of wrangling with our health insurance provider.\r\n \r\n This happens about once a year. They won’t pay for a child’s regular visit to the doctor because they say the doctor’s office failed to fill out a form properly. The doctor’s office complies, and then the insurance company once again balks for some technical reason. And each time, we deal with a different representative on the phone.

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Positive forecast: Utah ‘air is getting cleaner’

October 23, 2008 (Deseret News) - Report notes state’s progress meeting federal standards\r\n \r\n Despite the obvious haze and inversions that frequent the Wasatch Front, the Utah Foundation reported Wednesday that the state is meeting or working to meet national air-quality standards.

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Report: Utah’s air is becoming cleaner

October 23, 2008 (KSL Radio) - Despite the sometimes yellow, dingy haze or winter inversions, new findings from the Utah Foundation show Utah’s air is improving, and the state should continue to meet federal standards.

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Local voters voice concern as Nov. 4 fast approaches

October 16, 2008 (Ogden Standard-Examiner) - When 825 registered Utah voters were asked in January what their top issue was for the 2008 election, the economy was not in the Top 10.\r\n \r\n A lot has changed, admits Steve Kroes, president of survey sponsor Utah Foundation.

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Utah

October 16, 2008 (KJZZ TV) - Between 2006 and 2007, Utah had the third-fastest annual population growth rate in the United States, ranking behind Nevada and Arizona.\r\n \r\n This rapid growth is expected to continue; by 2060, Utah

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