July 17, 2007(KUER Radio) - Here are the key working questions for the latest report from the Utah Foundation: Why do teachers stop teaching in Utah and what will encourage them to stay? Teachers in the state are leaving the profession in alarming numbers at a time when a tidal wave-like surge of students are about to rush into the system. Today on RadioWest, we’re examining the report’s conclusions and recommendations. We’ll also talk about the political environment under which … Continued
July 17, 2007(KCPW Radio) - Why do teachers in Utah stop teaching? And how can that trend be turned around? The Utah Foundation has a few ideas, which we’ll discuss this hour with the group’s president, Stephen Kroes.
May 29, 2007(KCPW Radio) - Is it possible to have a favorite tax or government fee? The U.S. Census Bureau last week released the latest comprehensive figures on state and local tax burdens. Stephen Kroes of the Utah Foundation walks us through his group’s analysis, which figures Utah has the third highest mandatory fee burden in the nation.
March 16, 2007(Deseret Morning News) - Utah ranks in the middle of states when it comes to completing higher education degrees, according to a new census report that shows adults with advanced degrees earn four times more than those who don’t have a high school diploma.
January 19, 2007(Deseret Morning News) - On paper, Utah public schools look flush with cash, pulling in about a billion extra dollars over the past 10 years.\r\n Yet class sizes remain huge. Teacher salaries are below the national average. And Utah
November 10, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - A new report by Utah Foundation shows Utah firms are less likely than those in other states to provide health insurance to employees.
September 24, 2006(St. George Spectrum) - Editorial:\r\n It’s an election year, and once again education is a hot topic. It isn’t chilling news to anyone that Utah ranks dead last in the nation in per-pupil spending, that a severe teacher shortage is causing a crisis in the classroom, and student performance is showing signs of strain.
September 18, 2006(KCPW Radio) - Lawmakers today will most likely give Utahns a tax cut totaling about 70 million dollars. In the same breath, they may also give voters the chance to choose a sales tax hike.
September 17, 2006(Deseret Morning News) - A new independent report bolsters Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.’s claim that Utah’s personal income taxes are too high and should be reduced.\r\n But the annual survey by the Utah Foundation, released Friday, also shows what some critics of the state’s taxation system have said for some time: Utah has relatively low property taxes and one of the lower corporate income taxes in the nation.
September 13, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - Tribune Editorial\r\n \r\n If education in Utah were compared to a new automobile, the features being requested by the Utah Board of Education might at first glance appear to be luxuries something like a leather interior and sports-car engine but in reality what the board wants is much more basic akin to four good tires, good gas mileage and air bags.
September 12, 2006(Provo Daily Herald) - Daily Herald Editorial\r\n As an increasingly high-tech world requires more sophisticated education, fewer Utahns are hitting the books past high school.
September 10, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - Whether property taxes or sales taxes are raised to pay for TRAX and other transportation projects, homeowners will shoulder most of the financial burden, a Utah Foundation study has found.
September 10, 2006(KSL TV) - Education officials across Utah say the state’s priorities financially are drifting away from education. Many say it’s time to raise an alarm and do something about it.
September 10, 2006(KSL TV) - So if they were given a choice, would Salt Lake County voters prefer a sales tax increase or higher property taxes to pay for transit projects?
September 08, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - Utahns contribute a lower percentage of their paychecks toward education funding than they did 10 years ago, but there is little consensus about whether their monetary commitment should be restored or how to restore it.
September 08, 2006(KCPW Radio) - Positioning Utah Schools for Success in the 21st Century: A Discussion of Finance and Reform Proposals.\r\n NOTE: On that web page, click the “play” button to listen online, or the “download” button to save the MP3 file.
September 07, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - The two ideas floated before legislative caucuses Tuesday were one matter of flimsy faith and one of concrete benefit. Guess which one is sure to come before a special session later this month and which is in doubt.
September 02, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has promised he would move the Legislature “inexorably” toward a special session to approve a “choose-your-own” tax system that would result in a $70 million tax cut.
August 29, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - Ideas for funding public education in Utah are not scarce – even if dollars are. The Utah Foundation on Monday released position papers from eight groups involved in the struggle over how to pay for educating Utah’s many children. The proposed solutions echo the fable of the blind men and the elephant – each stakeholder sees a part of the problem, but from its own perspective.
August 20, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - Tribune Editorial\r\n Utah is proud of its big families, and apparently that reputation is not in any danger.\r\n The latest blizzard of numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau confirms that the state still has by far the largest households in the nation – 3.07 persons compared to the national average of 2.6 – and the highest fertility rate – 2.5 children per woman compared to the national rate of 2.0.
August 15, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - The clamor against tax cuts grew louder Monday, as school boards, superintendents and school business officials across Utah called for lawmakers to use the state’s budget surplus “in the best interest of Utah’s children.”
August 06, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - U. president fears residents aren’t taking finishing seriously\r\n Many Utahns believe most of the state’s residents are college graduates. The truth, however, is that while a significant number of Utahns attend college, many never earn four-year degrees.
August 04, 2006(Deseret Morning News) - Recently, the State Tax Commission estimated that it has collected $351 million more than the Legislature budgeted for last winter. Some are calling the money a windfall or a surplus.
July 31, 2006(Salt Lake Tribune) - The Utah State Board of Regents on Friday agreed on an approach to prevent projected enrollment declines at the state’s colleges and universities.\r\n The approach, which regents say will require $405 million in additional funding from the state and student tuition over the next five years, will involve statewide efforts to recruit more women and minority students.
