Why Utah Republicans stand firm in their teacher bonus plan, leaving out Salt Lake City

House and Senate Republicans were briefed on upcoming bonuses during a meeting closed Tuesday. The plan to possibly cut Salt Lake City from bonuses arose from those conversations after members vanished their frustrations for the district to be the only obstacle to returning to face-to-face instruction.

House Speaker Brad Wilson of R-Kaysville says what he heard from its members convinced him that using the extra money as a carrot and stick was the right measure.

“There is deep concern and frustration that the needs of students in the Salt Lake City School District will not be met,” Wilson said Thursday.

Legislative leaders voted Wednesday to approve a one-time $ 1,500 bonus for licensed educators in Utah in gratitude for their efforts during the pandemic. But they also added “intentional language” to the appropriation that excludes teachers and district staff who do not offer a face-to-face option at the time the legislature begins the January 19 general session. applies to Salt Lake City schools.

Wilson, along with many other lawmakers, believes the online-only approach does not work and can be detrimental to students, and is behind the decision.

“There are districts and teachers across the state who have figured out a way to make this work,” he said.

The bonus money is part of a massive $ 400 million increase in education spending legislation added to the base budget for next year. If for some reason lawmakers are unable to complete the overall budget at the end of the session or the governor vetoes the end-of-session budget, the base budget will be maintained to secure funding.

Unless the dynamic changes, the issue will end at the table of elected governor Spencer Cox shortly after taking office in January. Lawmakers must approve base budget bills by Jan. 28.

So where does Cox stay hostage to the bonuses?

A Cox spokesman declined to comment Thursday saying in an email that he would rather “do this.”

But Cox and his team have raised no objections to House leaders.

“I know their staff were aware of what we were doing and had the impression that they were supporting what we have been doing here for the last 24 hours,” Wilson said. He added that he has not spoken directly to Cox on the subject.

Cox’s public silence can be a strategic calculation. Lawmakers still have to enter, debate, and approve base budget bills before they go to your desk, and you may be giving in to one side or the other, which would save you from making a decision. difficult.

Much of the outrage online has been motivated by a simple question: is it fair to withhold these bonuses from teachers who didn’t make the decision to take classes practically instead of doing it in person? This decision was made by the school board.

John Caywood, who works as a student support assistant at Wasatch Elementary School in Salt Lake City, says teachers who have classes practically work as hard, maybe even harder, than before the pandemic.

“I see almost every teacher weekly at one time or another, and it seems like a lot of hours are spent, either here in the building or if they’re ready to do their work from home,” he says. “They’re probably working longer hours than before.”

Caywood understands that there is a perception that these teachers somehow have an easier job without face-to-face classes, but he rejects it.

“It’s not like they could have shied away from their responsibility as teachers,” he said. “That’s just fake.”

“I now receive a lot of emails from parents in the Salt Lake City school district thanking us for finally listening to them,” Wilson said. “They say their children pay a high price. I don’t make decisions based on how many emails I have, but that just reinforces that we’re doing the right thing here. “

This controversy over bonds could be debatable in January. The Salt Lake City School District issued a statement saying they are reconsidering their slow gradual incorporation of face-to-face classes in light of vaccine news. Teachers are expected to be able to get the vaccine by mid-late January.

House minority leader Brian King in D-Salt Lake City was one of two Democrats who voted in favor of the measure despite the added provision to retain bonuses.

“I think it’s wrong to punish the Salt Lake district because administrators made a different decision about their educational options,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. I can see this as the legislature sending a message. “

However, King said the overall increase in funding for education was significant.