As an educator, I have little patience with those who proclaim that Utah should be proud of investing less money per pupil than any other state. Ironically, it is often these same individuals who insist that we cannot have a strong military or revive the failing economy without investing large sums of money.
While doing graduate work in Minneapolis, I had the privilege of supervising student teachers in one of the country's leading schools in education reform, Patrick Henry High School. In the late 1980s, Henry's future was uncertain; the school's academic performance was the worst in the district. A group of committed teachers and one supportive administrator voted to take personal responsibility to get the school back on track. The result? Henry's 10-year teacher retention rate increased to 88 percent. Enrollment at the school is at capacity. In addition, Newsweek ranked Patrick Henry number 218 in its list of top U.S. high schools.
Most Utah schools are not facing the crisis that Patrick Henry was, but recruitment and retention of quality teachers are as much of a challenge here. Start making a commitment to adequately fund public education in Utah.
Blair Bateman
Provo