Ogden Schools Now Considering 11 Scenarios for Closing, Rebuilding Elementaries

Hello Weber County Forum readers. For those of you who might have thought WCF had "given up the ghost" over the past couple of weeks.. well you'd be wrong. We just took a slight breather..

Here's the latest from the Standard-Examiner, Peeps:

• Ogden schools now considering 11 scenarios for closing, rebuilding elementaries

Although it's a mite weird to understand this BS, please remember folks, i.e,. especially concerning those who might be righteously  temped to 'toss off' a few Ogden School board 'crackpots.,for instance. We'll be soon be enmeshed in the 2018 Ogden School Board Elections this year, wherein Ogden voters will have certain choices, regarding the the proper make-up of the Ogden School board.

Keep your eyes focused on Weber County Forum. Peeps.

We'll be following the Ogden School Board race like NO OTHER race.

Standard-Examiner: Utah SAGE Test Results Illuminate Math Struggles - Updated

Hoping that State Schools Superintndent Brad Smith does not lead the state system to the same horrible results he has achieved in Ogden

By: Blackrulon:

The results of statewide testing of schools (SAGE) has been released. Ogden School District posted results of 28.1% in Language Arts, 20.3% in Mathemetics and 26.8% in Science:

• Utah SAGE test results illuminate math struggles

The State of Utah has selected former Ogden school District Superintendent Brad Smith to lead education in Utah. I only hope that he does not lead the state system to the same horrible results he has achieved in Ogden.

Update 10/29/14 8:30 a.m.: Interesting story from the Salt Lake Tribune, reporting that Utah Charter School SAGE test performance was merely on par with that of Utah public schools:

• Charter schools match state performance on SAGE

Click the link below to find out how your children’s specific schools performed:

• Utah Department of Education SAGE Results Database

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah’s Last-in-Nation Spending on Students Fell Even Further

Reality Check: Utah used to spend roughly double on public education

Via Eric Ethington

Utah: Dead-Ass Last

Utah! The "best managed state," where the absolutely critical emergency situation of neighborhood schools keeps getting worse.
Every time I talk to a Republican legislator about this, they all say the same thing: "We spend 2/3 Of our budget on education, so of course we care!" Here's the problem, that's nothing but PR spin. Education is 2/3 Of Utah's budget because the GOP leadership keeps cutting taxes for businesses. Do plenty of businesses love Utah for that? You bet. But the cost is our kids. Utah used to spend roughly double on public education, it was only a few decades ago, when Democrats held more seats in state government. But as soon as the GOP gained a super majority, public education immediately went on the chopping block, as these conservatives keep pushing for things they can make money on (like online course software and charter schools):

• Utah’s last-in-nation spending on students fell even further

When are the people of Utah going to realize that Republicans like Senators Stephenson and Osmond, or Reps like Lockhart and Dee, are lying when they say "education is a priority?"

Standard-Examiner: Non-renewed Ogden Teachers Question the System

It's time for a thorough Ogden School Board "house-cleaning," wethinks

Eye-opening Becky Wright story from the Standard-Examiner, profiling the plight of former Ogden High School chemistry teacher Jennifer Claesgens, "one of 17 provisional teachers who received notices from Ogden School District that their contracts would not be renewed." Here's the lede:

Jennifer Claesgens’ resume boasts a Ph.D. in science and mathematics education, with an emphasis in chemistry, experience teaching high school, and four years as an assistant professor at Northern Arizona University’s Center for Science Teaching and Learning. When she married a man from Ogden, Claesgens left the university to become the new chemistry teacher at Ogden High School.
Before the school year was over, Claesgens received notice that her contract with Ogden School District was not going to be renewed for the coming year. She was stunned.
“I actually looked at them and said, ‘This is the first I’ve heard that there was a problem,’ ” she recalled, thinking back to a meeting with her principal and other district administrators. “I asked, ‘What’s the basis of this?’ and they said ‘goodness of fit.’ ”

Check out the full text and embedded video here:

• Non-renewed Ogden teachers question the system

Our take-away concerning academically well-qualified Ms. Claesgens’ sudden blind-siding by the Ogden School District Administration?

"Toe the line (and keep your mouth shut.)"

In our view, today's story is symptomatic of the greater problem in the Ogden School District, of course, where OSD Schools Superintendent Brad Smith has ruthlessly dismantled much of the previously existing OSD personnel infrastructure over the past few years.

Happily, there will be a remedy for the OSD's heavy-handed treatment of Ogden school teachers coming up in November, O Gentle Ones, as all three Ogden School Board incumbents who will stand for re-election in our Ogden School Board races face well-qualified challengers, who are poised to change the Superintendent Brad Smith-centric culture of the Ogden School Board:

District #2 - 4 year term
Steven L. Marker - Incumbent
Douglas B. Barker - Challenger

District # 4 - 2 year term
Jeffrey Heiner - Incumbent
Dori Stauffer Mosher - Challenger

District #7 - 4 year term
Joyce J. Wilson - Incumbent
Aaron G. Garza - Challenger

Our advice for Ogden residents concerning in the upcoming 2014 Ogden School Board Elections?

Write this down so you don't forget it, folks!

It's time for a thorough Ogden School Board "house-cleaning," wethinks.

ABC News 4: Seventeen Teachers to Be Let Go by Ogden School District at End of School Year - Updated

It gets interestinger and interestinger as the 2014 General Election approaches, dunnit?

There's more bad news for the children of the Ogden School District, as ABC News 4 reports that our Ogden School Board has followed up last year's devastating Librarian, Adult Education and Reading Coach kill-offs with a new round of sure-to-be-painful staff cuts.  Although the District's rationale is murky, what is clear is that it's 17 Ogden school teachers who'll be looking for new jobs next year:

• Seventeen teachers to be let go by Ogden School District at end of school year (w/Video)

We've also learned from a reliable source that of this seventeen, at least eleven are union members.

Coincidence?  Or is Ogden School Board management (so-called) now embarking on a new "tea party style" union-busting venture?

We're also informed that the Standard-Examiner staff is working on a followup story, which we'll link, assuming something a little more tangible pops up.

Stay tuned, folks.

It gets interesting and interestinger as the 2014 General Election approaches, dunnit?

Update 4/2/14 7:42 a.m.: As predicted above, The Standard-Examiner is all over this story, revealing, among things, that a seemingly disproportionate 6 teachers from Highland Junior High School will receive their "walking papers":

• Ogden axes 17 teachers, including 6 at Highland

Displayed within this link is an "official" roster of Highland faculty and staff.  Scroll down and do the math:

• Highland Junior High School Faculty & Staff

Standard-Examiner Guest Editorial - Tea Party-type Shane Story Sez (With a Totally Straight Face): "Ogden District Making Progress'"

The time to fix the problems with the Ogden School Board happened yesterday...It's WAY past time to get seriously moving on this, folks

Humdinger of a guest editorial in the Standard-Examiner, wherein soon to be un-elected Ogden School Board Chairman Shane Story finally comes out of hiding, and responds publicly to the crushing series of recent revelations in re the Ogden School District, including, but not limited to Fired Librarians, Volunteer Reading Coach "kill-offs", "snuffing" Adult education, Flunking politically important tests, committing gross fiscal malfeasance and now the distressing news that Ogden School District teachers are fleein' in droves, whew!

And the latest insult to Ogden school system "management" (so-called), to which Mister Story finally responds publicly, after a long silence... to yesterday's strong Standard Examiner editorial, perhaps?

• Our View: Teachers' departures a concern

Alternatively and/or collectively however, it might have also been this hard-hitting and troubling S-E reportorial piece which brought soon-to-be ousted dimwit Ogden School Board Chairman Story outta his shell:

• Standard-Examiner: Ogden School District Teacher Departures At 7-year High 

Finally, after these harsh Standard-Examiner slams, our little "tea-party-style" Ogden School Board "pipsqeek," Mr. Story, finally steps into the fray, and tries to esplain away why, even under his brillliant "leadership," the Ogden City School District still doesn't still quite "cut it" yet:

• Ogden district making progress

Added bonus: Check out the S-E comments section, wherein a stunning variety of actual Ogden City school-teachers set the record straight.

Too bad that they can't all post under their own true names, lest Mr. Story and Superindent Smith might "render them" into involuntary retirement.

Mark your calenders, folks.  The Ogden City School Board election comes up in a mere 12 months,wherein this constant Weber County Forum meme has never been so true:

Bottom line, here's what we expect to be the result in the upcoming 2014 Ogden School Board Elections, despite Mr. Story's self-serving spin, and assuming that the heretofore "sleepy" Ogden Lumpenproletariat get off their derrieres and come up with more than a few decent replacement candidates:

The time to fix the problems with the Ogden School Board happened yesterday.

It's WAY past time to get seriously moving on this, folks, say we.

Standard-Examiner: Ogden School District Teacher Departures At 7-year High

"Let us hope the trend of uncommonly high departures extends to school board incumbents at the next election"

Via comment board heavyweight Bob Becker, we adopt this pointed and concise comment, which we'll shamelessly incorporate as our morning article lede:

Interesting article that finally puts some hard numbers to the many comment-board rumors of experienced teachers bailing on OSD. It seems they are, in unprecedented numbers.
Props to the reporter for not simply repeating the Supt's speculations as to the causes, and tracking down teachers who fled to ask them why. Good work.
Let us hope the trend of uncommonly high departures extends to school board incumbents at the next election.

Read the distressing full Standard-Examiner story here:

• Ogden School District teacher departures at 7-year high

And where does "the buck" stop, O Gentle Ones?

Mark your calenders, folks.

The 2014 Ogden School Board Elections are coming up a mere 366 days hence.

Town Hall Meeting Tonight: Reclaiming The Promise of Education

High time for Ogden citizens to "huddle up" and "line up their ducks"

For those Ogden lumpencitizens concerned about the disastrous condition of our Ogden School System (and who isn't?), we're pleased provide a heads-up concerning this evening's American Federation of Teachers (AFT Utah) sponsored Town Hall meeting in Ogden, wherein the public is invited to participate in a discussion of "working together as communities to support our neighborhood schools":

• Reclaiming The Promise of Education Town Hall

Here are the space-time coordinates:

Date:	Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Time:	6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Place:	Mount Ogden Junior High School 3260 Harrison Blvd. Ogden, Utah

Tonight's event will be a very important step forward for Ogden public education; so we do hope you can all work this into your calenders.

With the next School Board election coming up in a little over a year, it's high time for steely-eyed Ogden citizens to "huddle up," plot tactics and strategy, and otherwise "line up their ducks," don'tcha think?

Alternate Reality Department: Ogden School Board Renews Superintendent's Contract for Two Years

The knuckle-headed Ogden School Board crosses over into... The Twilight Zone

Alternate Reality Dept.

Some stories we read in the Standard-Examiner simply defy rational explanation. Try this one on for size, O Gentle Ones:

• Ogden School Board renews superintendent's contract for two years

Bob Becker "nails it," down in the S-E comments section:

So, the CEO of OSD got $50k in bonuses while laying off school librarians and over-crowding classrooms. This is the Lehman Brothers model of executive compensation. This school board would likely have voted the Captain of the Titanic a fat bonus as they scrambled aboard the lifeboats.

We're filing this one under the topic label "Alternate Reality Department," inasmuch as the knuckle-headed Ogden School Board has clearly crossed over into... The Twilight Zone.

As school board elections approach in November of 2014, the lumpencitizens of Ogden City certainly have their work cut out for themselves, no?

Standard-Examiner Review: Top of Utah Districts Compensate Teachers About the Same (?)

First things first: While Superintendent Smith busily "guts" the Ogden Public School System, he's not the least bit shy about "wallowing up" to the public trough

Interesting story in yesterday's Standard-Examiner reporting on the relative salary parity of school district administrator and teacher salaries across the Ogden, Weber, Davis and Box Elder school districts (ostensibly) "showing the four districts more or less are in the same boat with base pay rates":

• Review: Top of Utah districts compensate teachers about the same

One notable outlier: Ogden School District's Superintendent Brad Smith, whose base $120,400 salary is augmented by a unique contractual "perq," allowing him "receive up to $30,000 in [annual] performance pay in addition to his base salary."

Smith has thereby banked an additional $53 thousand in "performance pay," over the past two years, the S-E article reports.

 “To my knowledge, I’m the only superintendent in the state that receives performance pay,” Smith said, regarding this one-of-a-kind "entitlement," exhibiting little effort to wipe the giant smile off his face.

We have to hand it to Superintendent Smith for his sheer gall in "wallowing up" up to the public trough, while meanwhile, he busily proceeds with his agenda of "axing" school librarians, tossing 250 "reading coaches" overboard, "canning" adult education, and otherwise driving the Ogden School system into the ground.

And in the wake of  the first round of letter-grade latest test scores, it would appear that Superintendent Smith is well on his way to a further 2013 performance pay windfall, of course.

First things first, eh, Superintendent Smith?

And the beat goes on...

So who'll be the first to throw in their own 2¢?

Utah Public School Grading Falls Under the Microscope - Updated

Critics and skeptics say failing grades speak to flaws in the system

The Standard-Examiner reports that "[t]wo Top of Utah high schools received failing grades overall from the state in the first-ever release of ratings for public schools."

• Viewmont, Ben Lomond high schools get F grades from state

Via the Democratic Education Caucus of Weber County, "here is the information from the Ogden School District on the school grades released from the state replete with Mr. Smith's explanations":

• Superintendant Brad Smith Memorandum

 More from the Standard: "Critics and skeptics Utah's grading system for its schools say failing grades for Ben Lomond and Viewmont High Schools speaks to flaws in the system rather than the failings of the individual schools":

• Utah critics: Grading system flawed, schools misrepresented

So what do you think, fellow Utahns?

OSD "Superintendant Smith"

Update 9/5/13 9:15 a.m.: In a dazzling display of political opportunism, and with a neck-snapping 180-degree flip-flop from his remarks contained in the above-linked memorandum, Ogden School District Superintendent Brad Smith now says he supports the grading system that "clobbered" OSD schools earlier this week:

• Ogden educator applauds controversial new grading system

Political chameleon, anyone?

Mr. Smith apparently doesn't subscribe to the philosophy: "The buck stops here," we guess.

Ogden School District Releases Documents Pursuant to Weber County Democratic Education Caucus GRAMA Request

So now that these documents are on the table, we invite our ever-savvy Weber County Forum political wonks to weigh in on "the meaning of all this."

As a followup to our June 19 Weber County Forum story, wherein we announced that "two local groups that sprung up in reaction to controversial decisions by the Ogden School District are pledging to make their voices heard, on both the district and state levels," we'll direct our readers' attention to two recent Utah media stories, which describe the efforts of the efforts of the Weber County Democratic Education Caucus (WCDEC) to obtain "data from the Ogden School District on a wide range of topics, including end-of-level student test scores, how many teachers have left the district in recent years and the experience level of those who will teach this year."

• Democrats ask school questions - Standard-Examiner 8/22/13
• Weber County democrats demand answers - ABC4 8/23/13 

As interested readers will recall, WCDEC officials inititiated a focused inquiry, via the below original GRAMA document production request:

• Weber Education Caucus Letter 6/12/13

It's been a bit of a slow moving project, but here's the Ogden School District's mid-August response:

• Ogden School District Response Letter 8/15/13 

As set forth in this letter, here are the documents apparently produced to date:

• Interlocal Agreement Real Estate 10/27/09
• Interlocal Agreement Mitigation Payments 10/27/09
• RDA Projects Summary Excel Spreadsheet (4 pages)
• Teacher Retention 2007 - 2012
• Preliminary Results Language Arts
• Preliminary Results Math
• Total District Salaries 

As an added bonus, we've embedded this video clip, depicting WCDEC member Ben Pales' related presentation at a recent Ogden School Board meeting:


A Weber County Forum Tip O' The Hat to the Weber County Democratic Education Caucus for keeping the Ogden School District's feet to the fire in this matter.

So now that these documents are on the table, we invite our ever-savvy Weber County Forum political wonks to "don the green eye shades" and weigh in on "the meaning of all this."

Deseret News: The Top 50 Elementary Schools in Utah According to the Utah Comprehensive Accountability System

Approaching the 2014 Ogden School Board elections with a new resolve, as seven Ogden elementary schools again "finish" at the bottom of the heap

Eye opening material provided this morning by another sharp-eyed and alert WCF reader:

"The stats are in, and it doesn't look good for Ogden School District. According to an article in the Deseret News, Ogden School District is not doing nearly as well as represented at [recent] board meetings":

• The top 50 elementary schools in Utah according to the Utah Comprehensive Accountability System

Here's the nitty-gritty:

"Ogden elementary schools that made the lost of 30 lowest in Utah for accountability":

#10 Odyssey at 42% proficient
#6 TO Smith at 42% proficient
#2 Dee at 33% proficient
#1 Madison at 31% proficient

"Both Ogden high schools made the list of 50 lowest in Utah":

#36 Ogden High School 75% below proficient
#19 Ben Lomond 58% below proficient.

"Ogden elementary schools that made the list of the lowest 30 in Utah
for test scores":

#47 Bonneville Elementary 58% below proficient
# 33 Heritage Elementary 50% below proficient
#13 Gramercy Elementary 42% below proficient

Weber County Forum has attempted in the past to generate interest in Ogden School Board elections without much success. Last go-round, we even made candidate recommendations, which were (unfortunately) mostly ignored:

Ogden School Board District Precinct 1:
Don Belnap ☠☠☠
David Tanner ☝
Allen Smith ☝

Ogden School Board District Precinct 5:
 Shane Story ☠☠☠
 J. Scott Handy ☝☝
Clark Hogan ☝
Jim Hutchins ☝☝☝

In view of these latest dismal scores, (which reflect,  we think, what happens when when non-educators are "given free Ogden School Board reign,") we're newly resolved, when Ogden School Board elections roll around again in 2014, to double down on our efforts to oust non-professional educators from positions of school board authority, and replace them with professional educators - you know - experts who actually have a clue what they're doing?

Can we see by a show of hands how many of our gentle WCF readers will join us in this?

And please -- pretty please with sugar on it -- don't let the cat get your tongue in re this pressing issue.

Bait & Switch Bonding Part Deux: "What Will Be Done With That Extra $700,000 of Pool Bonding Dough?"

As taxpayer rip-offs go, we're labeling this a “two-fer"

In our haste to showcase yesterday's Gentle Reader Smaatguy's very legitimate Weber County Library bonding gripe, there's another  nerve-jangling Standard-Examiner story which we did (unfortunately) leave on the back-burner yesterday. It's therefore time to play "catch-up" wethinks, now that we move into the pre-24th of July sometimes "Red Meat Lean" news cycle week-end. And what better time to do that when most of the other Utah journalists are slackin' off and enjoying the summer weather?

Here's the full text of yesterday's SE' companion"Ogden City Schools Pool Bonding" story, "peeps" wherein SE reporter Rachel Trotter asks the question: "What will be done with that extra $700,000" of taxpayer-extracted pool repair bonding dough?":

• District will be left with extra tax funds after repairs on pools

“If it is earmarked for educational purposes, why didn’t they just call it that instead of masking it in this pool bond? Ogden School District needs to be more accountable to the taxpayers of Ogden,” says Ogden resident Simon Post.

We already learned earlier that the Ogden City Redevelopment Agency was also quietly taking it's own "pound of taxpayer flesh," of course.

Therefore, as taxpayer rip-offs go, we'll go along with Mr. Post, and furthermore label this a "two-fer,"  with zero amount of hesitation.

And howbout YOU?

Dan Schroeder Guest Commentary: Not All of New Tax Will Go to Libraries and Pools

Which Utah legislator will be the first to break the bad news to their fat-cat campaign donors?

Tax increment diversions are currently costing the Weber County Library System more than half a million dollars per year.  If it weren’t for these diversions, the library could have funded most of the planned improvements without a tax rate increase.
For the Ogden School District, tax increment diversions reduce revenue by much more: a few million dollars per year. That would be enough to cover not only the maintenance of the two swimming pools, but also the salaries of the recently laid-off school librarians and the rest of the district’s recent budget shortfall.

Standard Examiner - Dan Schroeder Guest Commentary
Not all of new tax will go to libraries and pools
July 2, 2013

The TIF Financing Scam

In the wake of all the hoopla over the passage of  last week's Pool and Library bond measures, we're delighted to put the spotlight on this morning's top-notch and sobering Dan Schroeder guest commentary, which reveals the ugly underbelly of the tax increment financing economic development fad, which has become the darling of Utah crony-capitalist politicians over the course of the past decade or two:

• Not all of new tax will go to libraries and pools

We'll thus enthusiastically join Dr. Schroeder in calling upon the legislature for serious reform of this locally much-abused "welfare for the rich" economic development scam.  Yes, "it’s time for the state Legislature to severely curtail this misuse of tax revenue." 

This of course invokes The Question: Is there anyone amongst our "fiscally conservative" Utah legislative body however who might be willing to break the bad news to their fat-cat campaign donors that they're willing to stop "robbing Peter to pay Paul?"

Nope.  We don't think so either.

The floor's open for your comments, O Gentle Ones.

Standard-Examiner: Weber Residents Say 'Yes' to Libraries, Pools - Updated

As a followup to yesterday's special bond election deadline reminder, the Standard carries two hot-off the-press stories this morning, reporting that Weber County voters approved both the pool and library measures by 57.58% and 54.3%, respectively:

• Officials: Current vote tally shows Weber residents say 'Yes' to libraries, pools
• Most voters back repairs, upgrades of Weber libraries

How happy are Ogden/Weber pool and library boosters this morning?

Update 6/27/13 5:30 a.m.: The Standard reminds us that the "official" vote counts are not yet in, and that the celebrations might therefore be a mite premature; although in truth, the realistic odds of still-uncounted votes upending these preliminary reported tallies are somewhere between "slim to none":

• Election results won’t be ‘official’ until July 9

Standard-Examiner: Residents Voting Today on Bonds for Weber Libraries, Ogden Pools

Don't vote? Don't complain, folks

Here's a quick reminder for Ogden and Weber County residents, who may have forgotten to vote:

OGDEN — Many Weber County voters may have already cast their ballots by mail for today’s bond elections, but officials want to emphasize that people who have not yet voted still have the opportunity to add their votes traditionally at the polls today.
Poll stations are set up in the North Ogden and Marriott-Slaterville city offices; the South Ogden and Roy municipal buildings; the Weber Center; and the Ogden Valley Branch Library, with the voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Get the full lowdown here, via the Standard-Examiner:

• Residents voting today on bonds for Weber libraries, Ogden pools

You don't vote? Then don't complain, folks.

Standard-Examiner: Watchdog Groups Vow to Keep Pressure on Ogden School District

A Weber County Forum Tip 'O The Hat to the fine folks of Focus Ogden and the Democratic Education Caucus of Weber County, inasmuch as we Ogden City lumpencitizens have been far too complacent for far too long

Notable development concerning the Ogden School District topic, with this morning's Nancy Van Valkenburg story reporting that "two local groups that sprung up in reaction to controversial decisions by the Ogden School District are pledging to make their voices heard, on both the district and state levels":

• Watchdog groups vow to keep pressure on Ogden School District

For our readers convenience, here are the web links for these community-minded groups, for those who'd like to "stay in the loop":

• Focus Ogden
• Democratic Education Caucus of Weber County

Within this morning's story, Ms Van Valkenburg also mentions "a June 12 letter to the Ogden board, seeking information." Inasmuch as we believe the information requests contained in this letter may have important significance as these two groups move forward, we've uploaded and linked it for future reference:

• 06/12/2013 Kim Irvine Letter

Notably, among other things, this letter obliquely refers to certain School Board "fiduciary competency" questions which we've previously raised here on Weber County County Forum, so far without much real public consternation:

• Ogden City Schools - Possible Tax Increment Malfeasance - Junction and River Project Bailouts  

A Weber County Forum Tip 'O The Hat to the fine folks of Focus Ogden and the Democratic Education Caucus of Weber County for perking up their ears, fine-tuning the issues and vowing to keep our "esteemed" Ogden School Board's feet to the fire, inasmuch as, in our belief at least, we Ogden City lumpencitizens have been far too complacent for far too long.

Standard-Examiner: Ogden District Finds Funds to Hire 7 Librarians

We should chalk this up as "progress," we guess

In the wake of all the anger and angst over the Ogden School Board's axing of all 20 of the Ogden School District’s teacher librarian/media specialists, we find this encouraging story plastered right there at the top of the Standard-Examiner front page this morning:

• Ogden district finds funds to hire 7 librarians

Amazing how creative these school district bureaucrats can be when angry local lumpencitizens are raising holy hell and breathing down their necks, innit?

We should chalk this up as "progress," we guess, although when the next Ogden School Board election rolls around in November of 2014, we shouldn't forget the names of the folks who ushered in this crisis, yes? 

Deseret News: Salt Lake City School Board Considering Property Tax Increase

Howbout a probably modest tax increase that would inure to the benefit of ALL Ogden City school-kids? 

Impeccable logic

Interesting story from the Deseret News, reporting that "the Salt Lake City School Board is considering (horror of horrors) a property tax increase that would cost homeowners an additional $12.65 per year on a $100,000 home. District business administrator Janet Roberts presented the proposal to members of the board during its meeting last week. The tax increase would raise $3.6 million for the district," according to  D-News reporter Benjamin Wood's 5/17/13 writeup, wherein the financial difficulties of our own Ogden City schools are also mentioned:

• Salt Lake City School Board considering property tax increase

Faced with a variety of projected revenue reductions and looming budget shortfalls, the Salt Lake City School Board appears to be approaching its budgetary problems in a straightforward and "mature" manner, or so it seems to us. There's a good reason that Utah law vests school districts with taxing authority. The "grownups" of our Ogden City School District's southerly-situated Salt Lake City counterpart seem be at least willing to consider using it. So what's up with the Ogden School Board, we ask?

All gold @ OHS ('cept for the paint)

The Ogden School District is already poised to gauge pubic interest in a tax increase to continue the "education-mission inessential" operation of the Ben Lomond and Ogden High pools. So rather than taking the drastic step of simply "gutting" "essential educational resources" in our Ogden City Schools, why hasn't our local school board put a similar tax-increase measure on the table to ensure continuation of the highest possible continued educational opportunities for Ogden school-kids?  Has anyone within the Ogden School District even bothered to "run" the numbers on such a measure?  Has our Ogden School District's arguably gross and incompetent past financial mismanagement so deeply "dug in" within our Ogden school system as to create an irretrievable circumstance whereby the OSD's problems can't be cured even by a Salt Lake School District-style tax rate fix?

So how about it folks?  We already know that Ogden City lumpencitizens will "dig deep" in the support of gold-plated auditoriums, so what would you say about "chipping in" to a probably modest tax increase that would inure to the benefit of ALL Ogden City school-kids?