the Informer

Why is education always the first thing to be sacrificed when states are trying to save money? What is more important than a solid foundation of learning? Many countries outside the United States put a lot more emphasis on academic excellence where we, as a country, seem to not focus on it as much. Now the education issue has come to the forefront, Utah state senator Chris Buttars proposes eliminating the 12th grade. Utah is facing a $700 million deficit and that by cutting an entire grade it will save the state about $60 million. He argues that many students don’t take a strong academic course load in their final year so that year should be optional. I think this logic is completely wrong. If the course load for seniors is not as rigorous as it should be, then the education system needs to be revamped, not eliminated. Education is essential to the advancement of society. The government should not be trying to eliminate an entire year of schooling because then they are doing a disservice to the youth of society. In today’s society, many students go to college straight out of high school. This would mean that students could be entering college still 16 or having just turned 17. Were you emotionally and mentally prepared for college at that age? I know I wasn’t. At that age students are not well equipped to deal with college life, socially or academically. That last year makes a huge difference in the maturity level of students. It would ultimately hurt the students. They would be behind other students in their college classes. Also many students take advanced placement classes their senior year and these exams can provide college credit, as well as prepare students for the rigorous course loads that they will find in college. Cutting out senior year would provide less opportunity to take these classes where they could gain valuable knowledge and experience. Yes, $700 million is a huge debt, but is cutting about an entire year of schooling really the best solution to this problem. Maybe the reason Utah is in this much debt is because the government officials skipped their senior years. I hope lawmakers turn down this proposal because cutting education is never the answer to a budget deficit. There are other areas that could be evaluated instead of education. If it is believed that students aren’t taking the senior year of high school seriously and develop cases of “senioritis” then maybe its education reform they should be focusing on. Maybe they should increase the academic requirements like four years of math, English, history and science. Then maybe increase the topics for electives such as psychology, politics and career options. Making senior year of high school academically stronger would be a much better solution than eliminating it. Utah lawmakers need to seriously think about this proposal before making any hasty decisions in trying to close their budget deficit. It would be a huge error in judgment of Utah’s state government if they go along with Buttars’ proposal.