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.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
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.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
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.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
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.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
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.”
Direct Link: Read Full Article
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.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
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.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
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.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
June 19, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - We’re guessing most Utahns weren’t terribly surprised to learn last week that they carry the fourth-largest burden of state and local taxes in the nation. The news, from a study by the Utah Taxpayers Association, probably confirmed their suspicions.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
June 05, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - For far too long, Utah policymakers have provided stock answers about the state’s per-pupil funding, which has been the lowest in the nation since 1991. The rationale has been that Utah has a lot of children and a limited number of taxpayers to fund public education.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
June 02, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - Does Utah need a constitutional amendment to make sure public schools have enough money?\r\n A State Board of Education committee wonders.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
May 31, 2006 (KSL Editorial) - KSL congratulates the many Utah high school graduates who are receiving their diplomas this week and next during ceremonies across the state. At the same time, we encourage them to consider the value of continuing their education.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
May 29, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - Schools are getting an extra $269 million next school year, but their piece of the pie is getting smaller.\r\n \r\n Public schools last year received 86 percent of the money set aside for them and colleges.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
May 13, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - The State Board of Education is reminding the governor and Legislature it will only support tax reforms that help schools in the long run.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
May 06, 2006 (Salt Lake Tribune) - The Utah Legislature can no longer rationalize the state’s solo grip on last place in the nation in per-pupil spending for education by citing more cheerful statistics comparing education taxes with Utahns’ income.\r\n Because, even those statistics are no longer very cheerful.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
May 05, 2006 (Inside Utah) - Utah Foundation
Direct Link: Read Full Article
April 30, 2006 (Salt Lake Tribune) - A recent federal report showed Utah last in the nation in per-pupil funding for public education. No surprise there, since the state’s large student population has made it difficult to be anything but last in the nation for many years. But a deeper look at the report revealed how hard we are trying to fund Utah’s education system.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
April 28, 2006 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Utah’s education funding level was the lowest in the United States 10 years ago, but at least the state deserved an A for effort. Utahns’ burden of taxes for education was fifth-highest in the nation – fitting for a state with the nation’s highest birthrate.\r\n Utah still comes in dead last in education funding, but a new Utah Foundation report says the amount of personal income that goes toward funding education in Utah is now … Continued
Direct Link: Read Full Article
April 28, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - Utah’s school funding motto for years has gone something like this: “We’re last in the country, but boy, we sure try hard.”\r\n But that kind of statement doesn’t hold up anymore.\r\n A report released Thursday by the Utah Foundation says the Beehive State has steadily slipped in its efforts, in terms of personal income, to pay to educate its children, mainly because of tax changes during the economic boom of the mid-1990s.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
April 24, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - OREM
Direct Link: Read Full Article
April 23, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - A college degree is supposed to represent a ticket to financial success, but some Utah graduates are finding that a diploma does not always lead to a lucrative job offer.\r\n Image\r\n Most of the state’s college graduates earn below $30,000 their first year on the job, according to a recent study by the Utah Foundation, a Salt Lake-based nonprofit research group. And salaries among graduates vary widely based on which college or university they attend.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
April 04, 2006 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Utah remains 51st in the nation in per-pupil school funding, a new ranking shows, and even the 6 percent funding increase lawmakers approved for the coming school year will do little to change that.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
April 02, 2006 (Deseret Morning News) - Economists link strong economy, firm beliefs\r\n \r\n The fear of eternal damnation may be the key to a robust economy. In fact, where a large percentage of a country’s population believes in hell, some economists have found a link to less corruption and a higher standard of living, according to a recent report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Direct Link: Read Full Article
February 01, 2006 (Salt Lake Tribune) - OREM – Ask what the “state” of Utah Valley State College is, and school President William A. Sederburg proffers answers. \r\n “It’s good,” he said Tuesday in his State of the College address. “Underfunded.” “Evolving.” “A prime force.”
Direct Link: Read Full Article
February 01, 2006 (Provo Daily Herald) - President William Sederburg said Tuesday that UVSC is becoming a major player in meeting the state’s educational needs, and could soon become UVSU.\r\n \r\n “Increasingly, the state is looking to UVSC for leadership,” he said in his state of the college address. In the coming year, UVSC will engage in a public discussion about its role in Utah, including the goal of becoming a regional state university.
Direct Link: Read Full Article