While the Obama Administration and Congress continue to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan, legislators continue to dismantle our public services, parks, and educational programs due to budget shortfalls. In Utah, state Sen. Chris Buttars proposed one way of dealing with a budget shortfall: just eliminate the 12th grade. It is not clear why legislators have decided to keep public education at all. If we simply eliminate education, we can send children directly into military training or to work for foreign companies from countries that are expanding their research and educational budgets at the same rate of our decline.
Buttars suggested that 12th grade is really not that important and most kids are ready for the workforce or life at 17. The move would save $60 million out of the $700 million shortfall in the state’s budget.
Buttars appears to be backing off a bit under criticism from educators, but the proposal captures our self-destructive path. While nations like China are massively increasing research and educational budgets (here), we are selling off public lands and buildings, (here), while pouring money into Iraq and Afghanistan. What do we think is going to happen? Because few of our politicians have the courage to demand a withdrawal from these countries, we are raising our debt limits, destroying our public programs, and undercutting our ability to compete in the future marketplace.
Buttars is a Republican on the Education Subcommittee of the powerful Appropriations Committee in the Senate. He represents a district in Salt Lake and lists his occupation as retired. He holds Bachelor of Science, Marketing/Economics, Utah State University.
For the story, click here.
But Byron,
Look he had him 12 years of schoolin…..
Mespo:
sheeit man, Jethro only finished 6th grade and look how he turned out.
Now if we could allow people to drill for more oil, maybe a 6th grade education is all we would need. Texas T, Black Gold.
Got this from a friend of mine.
Utah bill on global warming, calling it a scam.
http://le.utah.gov/~2010/bills/hbillamd/hjr012.htm
I don’t know, why not privatize all of this and have a pay to play approach for what we can. Like National Parks and Local parks, maybe even sell some to developers and to oil, coal and natural gas companies or lease them.
There is a good deal of fat in most governmental services and it is time to dismantle the leviathan.
enoibob:
“Maybe he can relate to just finishing the 11th grade,considering it would take a genius with that level of education to come up with that.”
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I love your sentiment about the good Mr. Buttars. Obviously his pitch is: “Hey it worked for me, and look how well I turned out! Yippee!”
I will say that educationally I was ahead of the curve. Especially in public school. I rarely cracked a book and made A’s and B’s in the 60’s and 70’s. Paradoxically parochial school was not as easy but B’s were ok with me.
Emotionally mature was another story in its entirety. I don’t see how Jethro could have been so advanced with a 12th grade education, you do know he completed 6 grade twice. But now at least we know he is employed by the Utah Legislature.
Only someone who’s been in a coma for the past fifty years could actually believe that we are serving the long-term interests of this country by consciously proposing legislation which will reduce our educational competitiveness in the world. While I agree with Alan that there is nothing magical about 12 years of primary education, the proposal in Utah has nothing to do with improving the educational system. It is merely one of many short-sighted proposals around the country intended to deal with budget shortfalls.
Who would have guessed that a right wing Replublican state Senator from that bastion of progressive thinking, Utah, would have come up with such a stupid idea. It is so stupid, that calling it stupid would be a compliment. What is it that Republicans think will happen when they have everyone smart enough to flip burgers and clean tables, but not smart enough to competed in the international marketplace? I guess Sen. Buttars doesn’t care about the future of America. Remind me to add Utah to the list of states that I don’t want to be caught dead in. That makes at least three with Utah added to Texas and Florida. There are a few challengers to make the list, but only three stupid enough to be awarded the title of, Places I Never Want To Be Caught Dead In! Congratulations Utah.
Elaine M.,
Here’s the Wikipedia on education in China.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China
Duh,
They also eat rice in China! Let’s ban rice. Oh, I bet they regulate which side of the road you can drive on.
“We could always have the government choose their future occupation and provide them with just enough education to perform their job.
“Isn’t that what they do in China? Do we really want to be like China?”
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Are you sure that’s what they do in China?
We could always have the government choose their future occupation and provide them with just enough education to perform their job.
Isn’t that what they do in China? Do we really want to be like China?
If someone could demonstrate that the students of today can achieve the same level of education in 11 years that took the rest of us 12 years; then we’d have something to discuss. Are high school graduates better “edumicated” than they used to be?
Don’t you ever forget that the right of Education to be paid for by the state is a Constitutional right. It only is subject to scrutiny if it is offered and if it is offered it must be offered equally to everyone.
There is NO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO PUBLIC EDUCATION. It is not in the constitution and title IX can be abolished at anytime, not without repercussions from the states, I might add.
So take it on up to the Sct court and see what the current make up will say.
As soon as I saw the name of the member from West Jordan, I knew we were in for a good one. As any regular reader of Ed Brayton’s blog knows, Sen. Buttars is known for legislative proposals expressing the best in right-wingerism:
A ban on Gay-straight alliances in public schools
Mandating the teaching of intelligent design in public schools
A resolution encouraging retailers to use the phrase “Merry Christmas” rather than certain alternatives
I suppose he figures the kids will just end up working at McDonalds or Wal Mart, or digging ditches anyway, so why do they need that extra year. Heck, he should go all the way and just propose an end to high school entirely. Who really needs anything after 8th grade?
Well the plus side is they’d be less exposed to those revised history and science books that Texas is forcing on the rest of the country.
Ready for work & Life at 17 years old…where… at McDonalds? I remember exactly what I was ready for at the age of 17, and trust me when I say it was neither life nor gainful employment. Perhaps Chris Butters needs to take a look at cognitive development in adolescents, there is a reason that peopl cannot vote or marry until the age of 18 or drink alcohol ( legally ) until well over the age of 18. What a shameful way to look to save dollars. Perhaps a more efficient way of savings would be to lower the salaries of political representatives!
Maybe he can relate to just finishing the 11th grade,considering it would take a genius with that level of education to come up with that.
No offense to others who only went that far in school.
I read an LA Times article about this last night. Just when you think you’ve heard it all–some dunderhead like Buttars comes up with a dopey idea like this. I think the US is quickly becoming the dumbest country in the world.
I think that this is the Bone Head of the Year Award Recipient. It has to be. This is the only way that this kind of thinking can be sanctioned. Or maybe he has seen way to many shows named Jack Ass and can’t distinguish between tape and real life.
Not a bad idea actually. Here’s how it might be done: students can and do progress at different rates. So instead of having a fixed graduation date, graduation is based on passing an exam which can be taken as early as 9th grade. When a student passes the exam, the net present value of the amount it would have cost the state to continue teaching the student through 12th grade is placed into a pool. 20% of that pool goes to the state; 20% goes to the student; and 80% goes to the student’s college education, if they chose to go, otherwise it is eventually forfeit to the state. That potentially saves the state money and moves the student on to college sooner where they can be more productive with their time.