Education Interim Committee

will initially become part of the UVSC land bank. He reviewed the three main points addressed in the study:
    1)     Need. The study clearly shows a need for additional land lease/purchase and the timing would be based on the UVSC campus master plan.
    2)     Location. The best available site has not been determined.
    3)     Financing. The property would be acquired at fair-market value on a contract purchase basis and would become a state asset. The funding would not impact the current operating or facility demands of the institution.

    Mr. Hunsaker said the Board of Regents will consider this matter further after it receives input from the Division of Facilities and Construction Management (DFCM) and Services for People with Disabilities, who both participated in the study.

    Dr. Gary Carlston, Educational Advisor to the Governor's Office, discussed an Executive Order, signed by Governor Leavitt, creating a Middle Level Education Task Force. The task force will study and make recommendations on middle school curriculum issues and the over-all middle-school environment. The task force will meet as often as necessary and make preliminary recommendations for proposed legislation. Sen Steele suggested the executive order be forwarded to Families in Education, the Families and Agencies Coming Together (FACT) committee, the Deans of the Colleges of Education, and other groups that may be invited to provide study input. The executive order specifies who will serve as members of the task force.

2.     Educational Technology Initiative for Higher Education - Teacher Education Technology James Wilson, Legislative Legal Staff, reviewed a letter to be sent to the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee co-chairs, Sen. Dave Steele and Rep. Afton Bradshaw. The letter refers to H B. 184, enacted during the 1998 General Session. The bill provides that the state's colleges of education will be allocated funding for teacher education technology by line item in the General Appropriation Act. He said, for the upcoming year, those involved in preparing budgets have been made aware of changes in the law so they can adhere to the requirements of the new law and appropriately fund the higher education ETI .

3.     Western Governors University - Jeff Livingston, Utah Staff Director of the Western Governors University (WGU), explained that the WGU is a private , non-profit educational institution incorporated in Utah with administrative offices in Salt Lake City. The university will be a degree granting institution. He presented a brief overview of the WGU organizational structure, its initial and on-going revenue sources, the 17 states involved, and its institutional goals. He explained that program completion through the Western Governors University (WGU) is based on competency, not credit hours, and students may receive either an Associate or Baccalaureate degree. In addition to degree earning programs, the university will broker fully transferable classes to other higher education institutions and offer remedial and developmental courses. The WGU will not award degrees earned from transferred credit. There are four

associations involved in WGU accreditation and whether it may offer financial aid. He reviewed commitments made by participating states, the university's current status, and specific issues the 25 staff members are currently addressing. He said the Western Governors University is a resource that will provide flexibility for higher education institutions and Utah students. He felt it should be cited in the Utah system of higher education master plan as a component part of services available outside of the state's higher education system.

4.     Music Therapy - Rep. Evan Olsen introduced the topic of music therapy and its value for improving public education. Last year, with the help of Dr. Michael Ballam, USU Professor of Music, Rep. Olsen secured seed money from the legislature to develop a pilot music program in three school districts which has had a positive impact on student performance and behavior.

    Sharon Bitmore, Cache School District teacher, started playing music in her classroom prior to the pilot program. She found students instantly receptive and observed that learning and performance were immediately enhanced. Music can be used to set classroom mood and students even request specific selections be played.

    Gary Milner, a teacher in the Murray School District, uses classical music to set the mood for learning in his classroom. He said ADD children are calmed by the music and classroom testing is enhanced.

    Dr. Michael Ballam, Professor of music at USU said the Legislature has allocated money for music and arts education in the past. He said the Utah Opera Company is taking music and the arts into Cache County classrooms, both for students passive viewing and active creative participation. He described a school in the Logan area where music and the arts have been successfully utilized in an after-school setting. He emphasized the entire community becomes involved in these creative programs.

5.     School Fees Study -    Mr. Steven Baugh, Superintendent of the Alpine School District, reviewed textbook costs and fees in Utah and a proposal from a School Fees Task Force established by the Utah School Superintendents Association requesting the Legislature provide $50 per student to eliminate textbook fees in public schools. If a district's current textbook fees are less than $50, the district could use its textbook allocation to eliminate the next onerous fee or reduce student service fees. In 1993 when the last major study on school fees was completed, he felt too many fee issues were concurrently presented to the legislature, and action was not taken on any of the proposed solutions.

MOTION:    Rep. Lloyd Frandsen moved that legislative staff prepare legislation consistent with the recommendation presented by the School Fee Task Force. The motion was unanimously adopted by those present. Sen. Hillyard and Representatives Hogue, Johnson, Olsen, and Wright were absent for the vote.

6.     School Finance Study - Laurie Chivers, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, reported the outcome of information gathered from a statewide survey conducted by the School Finance Task Force. She said the task force has divided itself into three subcommittees for assignment of different topics. Subcommittee #1 was assigned the certified tax rate, time limits for tax appeals, interest repayments, and the study of tax levies. Subcommittee #2 was given transportation formulas, the I-15 construction, school activities, depreciation, funding ATC's, local programs and the 2 mill shift. Subcommittee # 3 will be reviewing additional support for opening new schools, necessarily existent small schools, and the capital outlay equalization formula.

    Rep. Buffmire requested a list of persons serving on each subcommittee.