Archive for the 'Utah Politics' Category

Not tonight

Posted by Tom on May 4th, 2007

Much like Lee Benson, I exercised my freedom to not watch the Rocky/Hannity “debate.”
In researching something else [1], I came across the following quotation which summarized my thoughts on tonight’s contest:
“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in an argument.”
— William Gibbs McAdoo
Guess neither of them will win this evening.

The quotation I was actually […]

HB 148 and means-tested vouchers

Posted by Tom on February 6th, 2007

Those who know me well know that I’m not opposed to an equitable, well-crafted voucher bill. In all of the discussions of HB 148, including its incarnations in past years, the one piece of information I’ve always wanted but never come across is an income chart showing how household income translates to voucher amounts.
The following […]

Saving lives: death and seat belts

Posted by Tom on January 23rd, 2007

This post isn’t about public education. It’s not about technology. It’s about tragedy.
I was driving home from a family reunion over the Christmas holiday when someone ran out in front of my car, waving for me to stop. It was dark. I was on the freeway. I swerved, missed him […]

Fees for Public Schools

Posted by Tom on January 19th, 2007

The Deseret News ran an article about HB 68, which allocates state money to reimburse local districts for the cost of fee waivers.
Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan, suggested looking at boosting the state’s per-student funding formula to get rid of fees altogether, if equity is the question. She and two others voted against the bill.
“We […]

Day on the Hill — Live Blog

Posted by Tom on January 18th, 2007

I’m at the Utah School Boards Association’s “Day on the Hill.” I’ll be live-blogging parts of the discussion and comments from those present.
Some discussion of HB 234. I wasn’t completely paying attention (was working on a different topic), but it sounds like they’re missing the point here. Ass I read it, the […]

Joint Education Meeting

Posted by Tom on September 25th, 2006

I quite enjoyed last week’s joint meeting between the State Board of Education, the State Board of Regents, and many of our legislators. District officials, local school board members and concerned parents were there too.
I found it more productive than other education summits for one simple reason: policy makers at multiple levels were able to […]

My Take on “J2”

Posted by Tom on September 18th, 2006

Tomorrow the legislature will likely cut our taxes. My response is somewhat mixed.
I’ve listened to senators, representatives, and even the governor sell the plan. They do a bang up job, and each time I walk away being convinced it’s in the best interest of Utah. But when I stop to think […]

Tuition Tax Credits: Rhetoric and Reality

Posted by Tom on September 13th, 2006

Yesterday, an anonymous reader commented:
EVERY voucher/tax credit proposal in Utah since 2002 or so has had a means-testing component to it so how can you say that the Utah Taxpayers Association’s comment bore only passing resemblance to previous legislation?
It’s a fair question.
Yes, tuition tax credit bills in the past few years have had means testing. […]

Education Paradox for Breakfast

Posted by Tom on September 12th, 2006

The Utah Foundation Breakfast last week was certainly interesting, but not terribly helpful. Half of the presenters were there primarily to push their political interests, some ignoring the purpose of the summit as I understood it.
Paradox Lost
If your keeping an eye on the public education debate in the state, you know that the Utah […]

Declining College Enrollment

Posted by Tom on July 27th, 2006

I was chatting with a colleague when he ask why university enrollment was declining. My unresearched, off-the-cuff answer was, “The economy is doing well.”
After spending some quality time with my good friend Google, I can more confidently say I’m partly right. Here’s a list of likely reasons; we’re not being hit with just […]