Class Size Reduction Efforts Have Fallen Short in Utah

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) During the last decade, Utah taxpayers have spent three-quarters of a billion dollars to reduce class sizes in public schools. And yet Utah's classes remain some of the largest in the nation.

"If the legislature and the public want to continue to reduce class sizes, it's going to take more dollars," says
State Superintendent Patti Harrington.

Harrington agrees with a new legislative audit that found funding for class size reduction has not kept pace with student enrollment and teacher salaries. The audit also found that nearly half of school districts in the state do not closely track funding for class-size reduction, because state law doesn't require it. Legislative leaders say they'd like that to change.

"I would like to see a better tracking - going back to the requirements we had before 2003," says Senate President John Valentine. "And then I'd like to make sure that when we increased general compensation for teachers, we increase class-size reduction money by the same amount."

According to the Center for Education Statistics, Utah classrooms have an average of 23 students per teacher compared to the national average of 16 students per teacher.

Click here to read complete audit. 

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom, Legislative Coverage, and 2007 Legislative Coverage. Copyright 2008 KCPW