Despite crowded classrooms and the state's lowest expenditure-per-student rate, most local residents say Utah County schoolteachers are doing a good job of educating children.
According to a recent Deseret News poll of 402 county residents, 76 percent approve of the job being done by local teachers. Only 15 percent said teachers are not doing a good job. The poll, conducted late last year by Dan Jones and Associates, has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent.Residents in the Alpine and Nebo school districts gave teachers the highest marks, with 78 percent in each district approving. However, both districts had the highest percentage of those giving teachers bad marks: 16 percent in each district.
Seventy-two percent of Provo School District residents said teachers are doing a good job, while only 13 percent disapproved. However, 15 percent of Provo residents said they don't know if teachers are doing a good job. Only 6 percent in Nebo and 5 percent in Alpine said they didn't know what kind of job teachers are doing.
The strong approval marks may be at least partially the result of how well the three districts scored the past two years on the statewide testing program. Both years, fifth-, eighth- and 11th-graders in Alpine and Provo districts scored considerably higher than state and national averages. Although not as high as the other two districts, Nebo's scores also were above state and national levels in most areas.
The high test scores and high approval rates come despite the fact that Nebo and Alpine spend the least amount per student of the state's 40 school districts. Provo is slightly above the state average in spending per student.
Also, all three districts are among the state's highest in the ratio of students per teacher. The state average is 25.79 students per teacher. Nebo has the state's second-highest ratio, at 28.89. Provo has 27.33 and Alpine 27.28 students per teacher.
"Our teachers are highly committed and spend a lot of extra time with the students," Alpine Superintendent Steven Baugh said. "They do it in spite of the fact our funds are extremely limited and our classrooms are the largest in the state and country."
However, during the past three years teachers have been more vocal in their desire to be compensated better financially for their efforts. Two years ago they threatened to strike over low salaries and overcrowded classrooms. Teachers are upset again this year with Gov. Norm Bangerter's proposed education funding and are again threatening job action.
"We're not asking to be rewarded, we just want to be paid a professional wage and what teachers are worth," said Phyllis Sorensen, president of the Alpine Education Association.
According to State Office of Education figures, Alpine paid its teachers the third-highest average salary in the state during the 1990-91 year - $26,922. Nebo's average salary was $25,175 and Provo's was $24,583. The state average teacher salary for 1990-91 was $25,578.
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(Poll)
Do you believe schoolteachers in utah County are doing a good job of educating children?
Definitely 33%
Probably 43%
Probably Not 10%
Definitely Not 5%
Don't Know 9%
Deseret News graphic