The Utah State Board of Education on May 21 decided to cut funding from many very important educational needs because they apparently ran out of their rainy day funds. Reducing both the Educators Salary Adjustment and the Teacher Student Success Act is an automatic $5,000 pay decrease for teachers in many districts. Additionally they are 100% ELIMINATING the lower classroom size yet still expecting teachers to teach a higher caliper of teaching with 24 hours notice for training and high expectations with a safe six foot distance.
We know next year will be crazy for students and educators and the state needs to know they can’t take away from the foundation of what is making educating possible during a pandemic. Cut from the top not the bottom! We need the Legislators in Utah to know that they have to ensure that teacher pay is mandated to stay the same! Parents need to make their voices heard.
The State Board of Education needs to come out and say that districts and charter schools cannot touch teachers pay next year when the new budget is allocated. The Legislators and Board Members need to take a stand and ensure our teachers are paid. Stand by our teachers!!!
Here is a message from the States PR guy:
Dear Ms xx
The Utah State Board of Education is not eager to cut the budget either. However, the Utah Legislature asked all state agencies, including the Utah State Board of Education, to consider budget reduction scenarios of 2, 5, and 10 percent as a means of thoughtfully addressing the anticipated economic havoc of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Board's scenarios will be presented to the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee on May 27. That group will forward its recommendations to the Executive Appropriations Committee who will make a recommendation to a special session of the Legislature, likely June 18-19. If a cut is going to be made, that is where it will happen. The Legislature, of course, will have the ability to take the state's full budget into account in making any reductions.
I encourage you to continue to follow the debate as it moves to the Legislature.
Mark Peterson ꟾ Public Relations Director ꟾ Utah State Board of Education250 E 500 South ꟾ PO Box 144200 ꟾ Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200 ꟾ 801-538-7635
Sign this petitions and let the State school board and Legislators know we cannot be bullied into them cutting our teachers pay!
** This is a generic email. He has sent this exact verbatim letter to other teachers! So let’s continue to follow this debate as it moves to the Legislature!
