Senate approves incentives for year-round calendar

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- High school students soon could have to take classes in the hot summer months instead of the spring or fall under a proposal intended to reduce class sizes and raise teacher pay.

The Senate endorsed Senate Bill 42 on Wednesday. Sponsor Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, wants the state to offer $32 million in grants to help as many as three school districts switch to an academic calendar with three semesters.

The three-semester schedule is the idea of the Washington County School District.

Under the plan, high-school students would pick at least two semesters, but some could attend all three and graduate early. At the elementary level, students would attend three semesters but for half a day.

Teachers would earn more because they would be working more.

Stephenson contends that by offering classes in summer, school districts would be able to save money by building fewer schools. He also says districts would save money because they wouldn't need to hire as many new teachers because class sizes would be reduced if they were spread out over three semesters instead of two.

He says those savings could be used to increase teacher salaries by as much as 40 percent.

"Teachers ought to have the ability to have a year-round salary," he said. "I don't know how many professions out there could afford a forced three month layoff without even the ability to apply for unemployment compensation."

SB 42 passed in the Senate 28-0 and will get one more reading before it's heard in the House.

"What's amazing is we haven't done this in the past," said Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan. "This comes close to being a no brainer. I don't know of any losers in this."

While Stephenson's bill has the support of the Senate and Gov. Jon Huntsman, it's unclear whether parents, students and local school boards will buy into the concept.

The cost savings Stephenson imagines only occur if an equal amount of students choose to attend classes in the spring, summer and fall. Any deviation from that equal split reduces savings.

Some might be forced to attend during a semester they don't want. Students who take Advanced Placement courses could go months between the end of class and their national exams. It's unclear how the trimester schedule would affect high school athletics.

Parents of younger children would have to give up traditional summer breaks, and teachers would have to be willing to work more hours. A state school board member was critical of the model in the fall.

"We need to use realism," school board member Debra Roberts said in October.

Still, Stephenson is determined to see the trimester schedule become reality.

"I don't believe we can afford the luxury of three months (with an) idle public education system," Stephenson said.

SB 42 wasn't the only measure the Senate approved Wednesday aimed at increasing teacher pay.

Math and science teachers would be paid $5,000 more a year than other teachers under another proposal by Stephenson, SB 35.

The cash incentive is intended to eliminate teaching shortages in hard to fill subject areas and lure college graduates to teaching instead of choosing more lucrative careers.

Stephenson said that if Utah wants to be competitive in a global environment, it needs more students to graduate from high school wanting to major in math and science-related fields.

"If you don't have quality teachers teaching math and science, how do you expect these kids to be competitive entering our higher education institutions seeking these degrees?" Stephenson asked rhetorically.

SB 35 passed in the Senate 23-5 and will get one more reading before it heads to the House.

It is likely to face the same opposition there that it received in the Senate on Wednesday.

The Utah Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, opposes Stephenson's bill because it contends that all teachers should get a raise, regardless of what subject they teach.