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New Huntsman Employees
Mike Mower remains chief spokesperson for Gov. Jon Huntsman, but he now has some additional help. Doug DeVore has been hired as legislative assistant and Lisa Roskelley will be the new communications coordinator.
DeVore joins the Governor's staff from the Attorney General's office where he he's worked since his graduation from the University of Utah College of Law in May. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University. DeVore is a former intern for House Speaker Greg Curtis. He has worked as a law clerk for the AG office in the tax division.
Roskelley moves to the public sector from being a journalist with the Standard-Examiner since May of 2002. In the Davis Bureau she covered military issues, transportation and the Legislature for the newspaper. Roskelley graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Weber State University
and is finishing her Master of Public Administration at the University of Utah.
Blog Watch
The Senate Site blog notes that Senators Dan Eastman, Sheldon Killpack, and Speaker Greg Curtis were recognized as Legislators of the Year by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce (see press release)... New West notices a new trend: developers taking "a shine to Western downtowns."... Rep. Jeff Alexander has a long post about repealing the food tax... Phil Windley says Rep. Steve Urquhart's exit from the race against Sen. Orrin Hatch "makes me sad because it leaves us without a credible Republican challenger to Hatch."... Wilf Sommerkorn points to a "referendum with a twist" in Bluffdale... SLCSpin notes Utah's recent string of unflattering press coverage and points to a "very worthwhile post on the 2006 Senate race" by Reach Upward ... The Weber County Forum continues to mock the Ogden "Gang of Six"... Dee Taylor pats herself on the back: "As Outreach Coordinator for the Julian Hatch for U.S. Senate Campaign, I was excited to learn that the press release I issued to Utah Media Outlets reached the Associated Press, resulting in the announcement getting published in about 20 national and international outlets, including the London Guardian."
Washington Watch
The just-approved 2006 Energy and Water Appropriations Senate conference report included several projects pushed by Sen. Orrin Hatch: $28 million for the DOE to begin moving radioactive mill tailings pile near Moab; $1.5 million for the U of U's Utah Center for Heavy Oil Research to evaluate potential for commercial development of tar sands, oil shale, and coal deposits in Uintah County; and $1.9 million for the U of U's Center for Ultra-Clean Coal Utilization, which develops carbon capture and sequestration technologies to make existing coal-fired power plants cleaner and more efficient (see press release).
National Politics
Presidential Implications in Vote
The three clear winners in last week’s election were Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, Arizona Sen. John McCain, and California’s unions, says Wall Street Journal columnist John Fund.
Small Business Leaders Active
Small business owners are politically active, according to a new survey done by the National Federation of Small Business and reported in the Wall Street Journal. Some 95% of business owners say they are registered to vote, and 61% say they always cast a ballot, with another 23% saying they usually do. Some 43% said they have made financial contributions to candidates, PACs or campaigns in the last four years. Most contributions are small, with 53% making contributions less than $1,000 and only 3% over $10,000. Some 67% said being active in public affairs is good for business, but 51% said being too closely connected to politics is bad for business.
The Case for Small Schools
Rep. David Cox, an elementary school teacher in Lehi, has written letters to the Tribune and Morning News editorial boards disagreeing with their positions on school closures in the Granite School District.
“Student population will go back up as younger families move in over time,” Cox said. “Closing schools dramatically reduces the value of surrounding properties, which also reduces tax revenues for schools. Perhaps the School Board realized that there were other costs that offset the supposed savings in their decisions.
“Granite High is not a small school. It is a little over what research says is the best for a high school. We don’t have small schools on the Wasatch Front! We don’t even have moderately sized schools, and we are building new schools two and three times the size they should be! If we include all the costs, they are not cheaper.
“Big schools cost more for transportation. The state spends over $60 million every year just to run buses, mostly in urban areas that should need very little busing. This is because we build schools that are too big. Districts don’t include that cost in “savings” of consolidation proposals. Districts ought to be penalized for increasing those costs to the state, because it takes money away that could go to the classroom.
“Those costs don’t even begin to count the costs to parents and students traveling to and from school, which also costs cities for more roads and maintenance. We could vastly improve traffic congestion, if we would just build smaller schools in neighborhoods.
“If we really are serious about wanting to reduce the achievement gap of minorities, we should support smaller schools, because they are the ones most hurt by big schools. Smaller schools are the best equalizer for low socio-economics. Check out my website for more research and findings.
“We don’t need more programs! We need smaller schools where all the teachers know all the students and vice versa. It is in those relationships, rather than programs, that students grow!
“If we are concerned about economics, then increase the number of grades in a school. K-8 and 7-12 schools do a better job and are more economical! If we feel an elementary school isn’t economical for its size, make it a K-8 school. Keep those 7th and 8th graders in their neighborhood where they are known! It isn’t programs or curricula, its relationships that matter. Salt Lake School District needs to be commended and supported in this. They are moving to implement what other urban areas nationwide have discovered. K-8 schools are better in many situations.
“We don’t need to build more high schools to provide smaller schools if we turn the jr. highs into secondary schools. 7-12 schools also are economical and have better discipline, without sacrificing academics. Indications are that students from these schools do better in college. These schools allow parents and teachers to bond better, because the students are in the same school longer. Siblings look after each other (instead of gang members!). They can still have an excellent band or sports program, and more students get to participate in regular extra curricular activities, like student government, during their tenure.
“If, instead of more programs, we would explore these options, we would build our communities, reduce social problems, and save money in the long run.” |
