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| (cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)
Always a hot topic in the Utah Legislative Session, the budget discussion for education will once again address how to meet the demands of Utah’s changing demographics. That is, if Utah’s legislators decide to recognize that Utah is not the same as it was a decade, and more, ago. The Salt Lake Tribune has published an article on how students are doing in the state. On the surface, Utah looks good: 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.
But statistical examination of the breakdown paints a different picture: When statewide results are broken down by race, Utah’s racial groups, including white students, sometimes perform below national averages for their peers, a Tribune analysis shows.
The article goes on to offer explanation to the “statistical paradox” of Utah’s student performance, especially given the fact that Utah has the lowest per pupil spending and highest class sizes. Added to this is Utah’s declining high school graduation rate. According to Education Week reports, Utah had the highest high school graduation rate in the country in 2004. By 2006, Utah had slipped to 26th in the country.
Interviews with teachers and other officials offer further insights about the realities of teaching in Utah. “As we fall farther behind in funding it should be no surprise to anyone that student achievement follows,” said State Superintendent Larry Shumway. “Our teachers are doing the best they can, but we aren’t providing the support for student learning that we ought to be providing.”
At the root of discussion is money. There are differing viewpoints on education spending. [Jay Blain, a math teacher at Cottonwood High in Salt Lake City] Blain believes Utah’s relatively low per-pupil funding and large class sizes are the main reasons Utah students are falling behind.”Resources matter,” Blain said. “Tell me that it wouldn’t matter to have 30 kids in an algebra II class instead of 40.”
Will legislators agree? [Sen. Howard Stephenson, co-chair of the Utah Legislature's Education Interim Committee]
He said the way to improve Utah education is by attracting more quality teachers to classrooms. But to do that, he wants to boost teacher pay by putting schools on more efficient year-round schedules to save money.Putting more money toward education would “require higher taxes,” he said. In the past, Stephenson has said Utah should be a model for other states when it comes to eliminating waste in education spending.
[Rep. Greg Hughes, co-chair of the Education Interim Committee]
“If test scores were directly tied to funding then the District of Columbia would have the highest student test scores in America,” Hughes said, referring to the troubled Washington, D.C., school system, which spends the third-highest amount of money per student in the country.Though he said he’s not opposed to increasing education funding, Utah simply faces funding challenges other states don’t. Utah has the highest proportion of school-age children of any state in the nation, and about 65 percent of Utah land is federally-owned, meaning it can’t be taxed for schools, he said. “I don’t know how you ever overcome that,” Hughes said.
One thing for sure. Utah’s population is not the same as it was a decade ago. The demographics are changing and have been for quite some time. I’ts time to put education money into these changes. It’s not fair to impulsively and prematurely react by stating that taxes cannot be raised to fund education. While legislators are moving ahead with raising the taxes on unprepared food, a human necessity, they are balking at raising taxes to fund the education for our state’s children? Is not education also a human necessity? Where is the logic in not examining ALL possibilities, including raising taxes for this critcal need? | |
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| The Community Coat Exchange was a success! We gave close to 90% of what was donated. Here are videos and links to photos of the event: News Coverage by KSL TV - Fourth annual Community Coat Exchange helps Utahns stay warm
November 27thSALT LAKE CITY -- As the weather gets colder, a lot of people are in need of warm winter coats. The fourth annual Community Coat Exchange helps provide coats to those in need. People dropped off extra coats at the Salt Lake City Library Plaza Friday. Those who needed a coat could get one, no questions asked. Exchange organizers say there has been a decline in donations this year. "This is indicative of a larger need this year for families during this time. Maybe people aren't giving away things and maybe people are more in need," says Deanna Taylor with the Community Coat Exchange. Leftover coats will be given to the Crossroads Urban Center Thrift Store at 1385 W. 840 S. in Salt Lake City. Those who didn't make it Friday can still drop extra coats off at the center. | |
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| Today is Green Blog Action Day, a project of Green Change which was inspired by the global day of blog action on climate change. The topic: Local action. Check out all the Green Blogging going on over at Green Change to see what people around the country are writing about local action. My local action topic for today is a story about how I grew into taking action on a local level that is making a difference in my community. As a young child I decided that because there was so much greenery on the earth my favorite color would be green. I grew up appreciating the beauty of our planet due to the inspiration I had from family that influenced my love for life. That inspiration led to personal practices that have helped me to work towards reducing my footprint on the world. One of those practices is that of consuming only what is necessary. This continues to be a practice which I constantly examine and refine in my life. I buy clothing at thrift stores and make my own jewelry and handbags, for example. I grow a lot of my own food. I compost. I recycle. I take public transportation and walk as much as possible. It is no wonder, then, that the Green Party, a party that promotes values near and dear to my heart, would eventually become "home" to me.
Local Action=Personal Responsibility As a younger woman growing up in Frederick County, Maryland, about 50 miles west of Baltimore, each Thanksgiving I would watch with intrigue as the local news would air the piece about the huge Thanksgiving Feast organized by this amazing woman - Bea Gaddy, the "Mother Teresa of Baltimore", a woman who grew up in poverty and rose above her life's challenges to become a successful advocate for human beings on our planet. Each year I would continue to be inspired by the stories published about Bea Gaddy and her efforts. I would think to myself "I want to be like her when I grow up." She demonstrated a level of community action that touched my heart and warmed the souls of tens of thousands of people through the years. Then one day my wish began to come true. Local Action=Following Bea Gaddy's Mission I became involved with the Green Party when I moved to Utah in the late 90's because of everything the Green Party advocates with regards to life on earth. I became active at the national level and met many great people. One person I met from Rhode Island, Greg Gerritt, told me about the Rhode Island Green Party organized "Winter Coat Exchange" held each year on Buy Nothing Day, the day after Thanksgiving....the heaviest shopping day of the year. This year is the 12th year for the Rhode Island event where thousands of coats are now collected and given away. All types of community organizations have become involved. The idea: "If you need a coat, come get one. If you have a coat, we know someone who can use it." As I learned more about this event, I knew that I had to organize a sister event in Utah. Local Action=Community Action I had participated in Buy Nothing Day actions before. At malls and shopping places I would join dozens of activists in "anti-carol" sings, with messages about the pitfalls of consumerism, including its impact on our planet. But something just wasn't working. Shoppers would hurry past us as we sang and any leaflets we handed out ended up on the ground. I was frustrated. There had to be something else that could be done on this day to have more of an impact. Something that would touch the hearts of people as they spent their money on material goods that day. The concept of a coat exchange was something I decided to pursue.
Local Action=Pulling people together for a common good. The first Community Coat Exchange was held in Salt Lake City, Utah The day after Thanksgiving in 2006, with about 300 coats collected, and 100 given away. TV cameras showed up and people responded positively to the idea. The next year we collected about 400 coats and gave away 200. Last year we collected over 700 coats and gave away 600. We now have 5 collection sites. People from all walks of life participate. The event is growing. Next year we hope to have a sister event in Ogden, a city north of Salt Lake City. We have more community partners. We get some media attention, but there still seems to be more "news" at the malls where people are shopping. No matter. As we grow, we touch lives and warm hearts in our local community. As I reflect on this growing event, this local action, I have come to realize, on a small scale and relevant to my world, that my wish has come true, thanks to everyone in my life who has influenced me - my amazing and wonderful husband, my parents, my grandmothers, my siblings, my children and grandchildren, my wonderful friends, my Green Party colleagues from around the country, and others in the world who have inspired and influenced me.
I am growing up to be like Bea Gaddy. My desire now is to continue to grow and serve our community in ways that all people will benefit from efforts such as the Community Coat Exchange: A local action that has made a difference to the lives of countless people....to the life of the disabled man who just needed to talk to someone (and get a coat)....to the families of refugees who were in need of coats for the cold Utah weather....to the war vet who was struggling to get the care he needed to survive....to the women who were being sheltered in a domestic violence victim shelter and needed winter wear for their children....to the homeless men who came to stock up on winter wear for the weather in which they were forced to live....to the school children who collected coats at their schools for the event....and for the many people who realized that shopping on Black Friday was not as important as giving back to the community and taking pause to consider how to better protect and prolong the life of our planet.
Local Action=Making dreams come true. You can do it! | |
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| (Cross-posted at Utah Legislature Watch) Authors at Utah Legislature Watch have posted numerous articles in the past about Utah Legislators Ethics. This year will be no exception . since even before the session begins, there is already continued talk about ethics reform.
Last week the Deseret News published an article about a bill that has come out of committee on ethics reform. the bill proposes the formation of an independent panel which would serve as a clearning house for complaints against legislators. The proposal, allowing private citizens to initiate complaints, would bring in an independent voice to ethics enforcement on Utah’s Capitol Hill for the first time. Currently, only sitting lawmakers can bring allegations against their colleagues and the complaints are judged solely by other legislators meeting behind closed doors.
Utahns for Ethics in Government is not entirely satisfied wtih this bill, however. The group is currently working on a citizen’s initiative that would overhaul the ethics process. The article quotes member Kim Burningham, “We still have some major concerns” regarding transparency and fairness, “We believe in a lot more openness.”
Other ethics adovcates are on board with the initiative such as Utahns for Ethical Government. There continues to be debate between these groups and legislators regarding the language and “loopholes” in the initiave. The few comments to the D-News article so far allude to legislators being nervous about handing things over to the citizens. As well they should be. It’s time for the people to oversee the activities of their employees, the state legislators, to ensure transparency in Utah’s government. | |
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| (cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)
Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, is quoted in the Desert News as saying that the recently passed ordinance (supported by the LDS church) to protect the rights of gay people with regards to housing and employment could result in “unitended consquences”. “There’s a lot of questions. I’m not jumping to conclusions. I’m going to stand still and let the dust settle,” he said. “I haven’t changed my mind about anything, but I do believe people have fundamental human rights. All people do, and that includes the gays. But you’ve got to do it in a way that doesn’t give all those unintended consequences.”
I’m not sure what Buttars means by “unintended consequences”. Could he possibly mean “unforseen”???? Besides, just what are “unintended consequences”? The article fails to quote the anit-gay Utah Senator on that. | |
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| (cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)This past Saturday mobile home owners held a rally at the Salt Lake City Library to raise their voices in support of the more than 75,000 mobile home owners in Utah. According to a piece on KCPW’s website, hundreds were expected, but snowy weather impacted the numbers which reduced to about 40, according to a Salt Lake Tribune article on the event. Typically, mobile home owners reside in mobile home parks where the land upon which their homes sit are owned by an entity. Data compiled by[ Steve Anderson, president of Utah Manufactured Homeowners Action Group] Anderson showed that since 2004, lot rents have risen between 15 and 87 percent, while the consumer price index rose 11.2 percent each year.
Further, landlords in the past have held the right to notify home owners with only 90 days notice of a change in hands and notice to vacate. This resulted in home owners, especially those on fixed and low incomes, to have many who had lived much of their adult lives in the same home, to scramble to find housing since moving a home is quite an expensive venture. “We’re treated as if we’re a closed market,” Anderson said. “We’re not a closed market. We’re a captured market.”
That captive situation exists, Anderson added, because it costs up to $20,000 to relocate a manufactured home from one park to another. And many mobile-home dwellers are retirees, widows, senior citizens and veterans living on tight budgets.
After years of no action for the protection of rights of mobile home owners against landlord greed, the Utah Legislature finally last yera passed a law required land owners to provide 9 months notice of transfer of ownership and notice to vacate the premises. The group of homeowners will continue to put pressure on legislators this year to improve the rights of persons living in mobile homes. This will include making it attainable for home owers to form cooperatives with the intent of buying out the land owners. | |
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| (cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch) Who benefits from food sales tax breaks? Why, everyone of course. Food is a basic human right, whether you are rich or poor. Everyone must had food and must have it accessible. But there are legislators who feel that the food sales tax break was too much of a benefit to the wealthy and therefore should be reinstated. The state’s Tax Review Commission announced its support for the restoration of the food sales tax rate an, in an article published in the Salt Lake Tribune, the chair of the commission stated: Like the other groups endorsing the idea of restoring the full food sales tax, the commission said it sought to create a more stable, sound tax base and was not motivated by the desire to increase revenues to help plug an estimated $850 million budget deficit.
“In my mind, the real issue — in spite of the emotional effects — is efficiency,” said Commission Chairman Keith Prescott. “There’s an efficiency issue that doesn’t reach its target audience. By taking the sales tax off food, it gives too much benefit to the wealthy — an unintended, not well-thought-out result of what we got.”
Huh? Excuse me? The article continues: While consumers have enjoyed the reduced sales tax on food, implemented in January of last year, state coffers have missed out on an estimated $160 million in revenues. The commission preferred revenue refunds that would be cost-effective and easy to implement. Several options were discussed, such as tying the benefit to the federal earned income tax credit, adding a few lines on the state’s tax return or increasing the pool of food stamps.
Again: Huh? This would clearly hurt struggling families and citizens living at the poverty level. Get a credit when they file their taxes? How would that help with daily needs and cash flow? It wouldn’t! Using the excuse that the sales tax on food must be raised for everyone in order for the wealthy not to be able to “get away” with that benefit is really, really lame. Don’t impose what I consider a sanction on everyone to get revenue from the wealthy. Tax the wealthy on other things such as luxuries. A luxury tax (skiing, recreational vehicles, etc.) would certainly be more in line that with the mindset that the wealthy need to be paying their relative share of taxes in this state. | |
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| (Cross-posted to Utah Legislature Watch)Last week Salt Lake City passed an ordinance that protects persons seeking employment and housing from discrimination because of sexual orientation. Done deal? Not a chance. According to a Deseret News Article last week state legislators are gearing up for what promises to be once again a hot topic for the 2010 legislative session. Government and civic leaders said Wednesday the fight will be much tougher in the conservative Legislature, though the odds of passing an anti-discrimination law may get a boost from the Mormon church’s endorsement Tuesday of the Salt Lake City Council’s ordinances. Lawmakers could do three things when they come into January’s general session: They could adopt a statewide law similar to the city’s; they could actually repeal the city ordinance and ban all other local governments from doing likewise; or they could do nothing, which would let the city ordinance stand.
Rep. Chris Johnson, D-Salt Lake will be introducing a bill much like the Salt Lake City’s passed ordinance to afford all persons equal protection with regards to housing and employment. There are, of course, conservative legislators, ironically property owners, outspoken on the issue:
( Read more... ) There are thousands (maybe even tens of thousands) of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender citizens in Utah. They contribute to our communities and our economy like all other citizens do. In fact, there are many successful business owners who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and/or transgender. All citizens in Utah, regardless of any type of orientation, deserve equal protection under the law. | |
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| I am posting this message from a Green Party colleague in Arizona in honor of Veteran's Day which was sent to urge people to support the Green Party which is the only political party with a platform that promotes peace:
The Green Party is the Peace Party, the one voice in the political array that doesn't rely on about-face justification for continuing international violence underpinning notions of a superior calling for our nation. What does that mean? On Veteran's Day, what is the price of war? I'm from a military family. My dad went into the Navy right out of high school, and is a Pearl Harbor survivor. After the war, he went Army, to finish his twenty years. Growing up, I attended 13 schools before I finished 9th grade, most of them in rural villages, where the Nike missile base was a barracks for the privates, the missile "silo" was a cramped metal trailer, and the two families with kids were temporary outsiders. Except for aunt Marianne, who was a navy nurse, the military didn't want women, so we four daughters were not expected to enlist. As a woman, I was often told I had no right to an opinion in favor of peace, unless I had a brother or a cousin in combat. Like many of you, I decided that the way you best fight war is to get there ten years beforehand, and prevent despair by fixing what was wrong. My husband's family was also military. In their Appalachia, no one was drafted-- they were Volunteers. His dad never saw a plane close-up, til he climbed into one, to learn to fly it for WWII. He re-upped, and finished his military career by teaching ROTC, in a building on campus that a Quaker-led group, including me, would stumble into one day, and occupy long enough to pray for the dead, and the still living. My as-yet-unmet husband's only brother was among the unnamed for whom we prayed. His unarmed reconnaissance plane was shot down, the last fatality from Tucson. Until the next war. ( Read more... ) | |
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| The Salt Lake City Council has become the first Utah City to pass ordinances that will prevent unfair housing practices based on sexual orientation. In a rare move, the LDS church attended last night's council meeting to support the ordinances. THE LGBT community has been working hard to foster a relationship with church officals. Progress has been made and this is a step in the right direction. Read the Deseret News article here. Read the text of the LDS church's statement here. | |
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| The Deseret News reported today that two Utah Senators are pushing for a restoration of the 6+% (from the current 1.75%) sales tax on unprepared food. Senate budget chairman Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, and Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, in separate statements said it was a mistake when Utah legislators bowed to the “influence” of former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and cut the food tax. This tax restoration would place undue burden on poor people. Why should there be a tax on something everyone must have? One legislator doesn’t think that such a tax would impact poor people: For more than a year, Rep. Kay McIff, R-Richfield, has been trying to get lawmakers to put the tax back on food and, through other means, give tax cuts to low-income Utahns. McIff says the food tax cut really didn’t help low-income Utahns that much, but instead went to large Utah families or more well-to-do Utahns who buy a lot of food — people who likely really don’t need that kind of a tax cut. From what source does McIff get his data? What does he mean “didn’t help low-income Utahns that much“? Where is the evidence to back such a statement? I’m willing to bet that poor people spend most of their income on food while rich people spend a fraction of their income on food. Taxing food is preposterous. Don’t hurt families this way. | |
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| More to come, but here's a taste:
2009 Event Photos
THE AMAZING PEACE TREE
UTAH PEACE JAM
ART WORK CREATED BY SCHOOL CHILDREN AND DISPLAYED BY ROOTS AND SHOOTS
Also view 2009 photos and videos at: Dignity MyPeace.TV Facebook
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| It's been 4 years since the First Imagine Peacefest. Check it out, this Saturday, September 19th, at noon: Schedule Outdoor Plaza (south side of library) Noon – Opening Ceremony Noon – 6pm: Music and other entertainment in the amphitheater MUSIC FOR PEACE CONCERT Come hang your wish for peace on the world peace tree! See the awesome peace jam lineup of prominent local musicians at followed by DRUMMING FOR PEACE Drum Circle – 6pm All invited to participate Thank you to Gary Stoddard for organizing this part of the event! Downstairs in Library noon to 5:00pm ~ Art Display Thank you to Westminster Roots and Shoots for organizing this part of the event!
Library Auditorium beginning at 2:30pm “World Peace” a short film Produced by
Dan Fahndrich Productions “Creation in Multimedia”
www.danfahndrichproductions.com followed by:
Our feature film about Erica Fernandez, an amazing youth who is from Oxnard California and stopped a liquified natural gas plant from being put off the shore in her community. When Erica found out that a liquefied natural gas facility was proposed
for the coast of Oxnard and Malibu with a 36-inch pipeline routed
through low-income neighborhoods, she was outraged. She worked in
concert with the Sierra Club and Latino No on LNG group to mobilize the
youth and Latino voice in protests and public meetings. She organized
weekly protests at the BHP Billiton offices in Oxnard, met regularly
with community members, marched through neighborhoods that would be most impacted, reached out to the media, and brought more than 250 high
school students to a critical rally. Her passionate testimony at the
California State Lands Commission meeting was quoted in news articles,
and helped convince the Commission to vote to deny the project. Next,
she helped convince the California Coastal Commission to vote 12-0
against the project, and worked on a letter writing and phone call
campaign to the Governor asking him to veto the project, just as the
commissioners did. Erica’s community organizing and dogged determination played a crucial role in helping her community to resist a multinational billion-dollar corporation. | |
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