News Articles

KCPW podcast on ed funding effort

September 13, 2007 (KCPW Radio) - After 10 years of decline, education funding is on the rise, according to a new study. Lawmakers have added more than $500 million to education over the last two years. But what does that mean in practical application and will the trend continue? Steve Kroes of the Utah Foundation and State Superintendent Patti Harrington go over the data with Midday Metro.

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Four proposals for solving Utah’s teacher shortage

August 05, 2007 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Utah is in the midst of a teacher shortage, as a large and prolonged wave of new students enters our schools at the same time that fewer college students are preparing to become teachers and more veteran teachers from the baby-boom generation are reaching retirement age.\r\n This teacher shortage is aggravated by increasing teacher attrition – a growing number of teachers are leaving the profession, especially those early in their careers.

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Teacher drain: A new look

July 17, 2007 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Policymakers debating whether smaller classes or higher salaries will solve Utah’s looming teacher shortage got some new ammunition Monday.\r\n \r\n A research report deemed class-size reduction and across-the-board raises unlikely solutions. Instead, the report from the nonpartisan Utah Foundation recommends mentoring programs for new teachers and differential pay for high-demand positions.

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KUER podcast: Remedies for the Teacher Shortage

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

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KCPW podcast interview on teacher attrition

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.

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KCPW podcast on tax burden report

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.

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Higher ed report ranks Utah 24th

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.

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Utah schools look flush …

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

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Make education priority

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.

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Report notes high tax burden

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.

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No-frills education: Board ‘wish list’ addresses real needs

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.

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A plan to inspire achievement

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.

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Legislators seek best tax for TRAX

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.

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Education Funding Issue Heats Up

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.

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Should Utahns dig deeper to fund schools?

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.

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Utah Foundation Forum Podcast by KCPW

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.

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