To see video of Ralph’s address at the Utah Democratic Party Convention, visit this website:

http://www.livevideo.com/USDC

Ralph gave a powerful speech on the importance of education.
Check it out!

Mayoral candidate Ralph Becker announced today an innovative plan that calls for a partnership between the mayor’s office and the public education system in Salt Lake City. Becker’s Education Blueprint is a detailed, seven-point plan to foster a world-class education system in Salt Lake City.

“Building up Salt Lake City schools will be my top priority as mayor. A key part of becoming a Great American City depends on educating our kids,” Ralph Becker said. “My Education Blueprint is a groundbreaking commitment from the Mayor’s office, connecting our education system with city policy, civic life, the business community, the University of Utah, and other higher-education entities.”

The Education Blueprint is a centerpiece of Becker’s campaign. As he walks door to door and also meets with diverse interest groups, Ralph consistently speaks to the critical responsibility for educating its citizens that the city must embrace. “Salt Lake City must aim for nothing short of a superior education system,” Becker said, “and the mayor’s office will play a very central role in making that happen.”

The Blueprint includes a proposal to create a senior-level position called the Education Partnership Coordinator, whose sole responsibility will be to work every day with education institutions, businesses, the non-profit sector, and government to support and enhance Salt Lake City education.

Business leaders, educators, public officials, and community activists praise Becker’s Blueprint.

“Ralph Becker has been a powerful advocate for public education during his years in the Utah House of Representatives,” said Doug Nelson, current Chair of the Salt Lake City School District Board. “I think the ideas contained in Ralph Becker’s Education Blueprint will benefit all who call our city home, and help our society be better prepared for the future.”

Former First Lady Norma Matheson agrees: “Ralph Becker’s education platform will enhance the role of city leadership in supporting and expanding the educational opportunities in our Salt Lake City schools.”

To read the entire Blueprint, click here.

Here is the full text of my editorial that I wrote for the Salt Lake Tribune recently:

Invest in Public Education and Our Children
A distressed young man recently told me he had returned to the U.S. after years overseas and was convinced that our nation’s public education system is what sets us apart in the world. Public education, he said, is the great leveler of the playing field where opportunity is created. Those comments are consistent with what we know about our global economy: a skilled and highly educated workforce is the single most important factor that will determine America’s, and by extension Utah’s, economic success.

Utah ranks 51st in per pupil spending, and the gap is growing between Utah and the 50th state. Class sizes are growing. Overall, our financial commitment to public education is sinking, going from 5th in the nation to 27th among the states in a few years. We aren’t attracting Utah teachers: while we graduated 3,000 teachers from our higher education institutions in 2003, the number has dropped to 2,500 in 2006. And existing teachers are leaving: 50% of all teachers in Utah leave the profession within five years. Many teachers are leaving for surrounding states where they receive higher pay. Others are leaving the profession because they can’t earn a living wage or the teaching conditions are intolerable. Despite these challenges, Utah public school students test relatively well and have productive lives.

Since we expect 150,000 new students in Utah in the next 10 years, public education conditions will continue to worsen unless we act now. Some legislators state that we are investing more than ever in public education. But the results of legislative actions belie that fact. With increasing numbers of students and growing state and federal mandates, our commitment to public education is not keeping pace with growth. The myth that our education administration is bloated is unfounded: Utah ranks last in administrative costs per pupil in the nation. Certainly we need to look for efficiencies in school administration, but a relatively small percentage of our school spending goes into administration.

Because of a thriving economy, opportunity is knocking for Utah. We have unprecedented school revenues and optimistic projections for the future.

Now is the time to invest in our public education system. Here’s what Utah Democrats would do: we propose a 10% increase in the funding for public education for the next 5 years, to pay for:

• Significantly reduced class sizes
• Increases in teacher salaries and accountability
• All-day kindergarten for low-income schools
• Efficient buildings
• Better access to and use of technology

Legislative Democrats would invest in the basics of education and send that money to local school districts to decide the highest priorities in their areas with a minimum of state mandates.

Here’s what we won’t do: take millions of dollars away from public education through vouchers to finance private schools, 85% of which are aligned with a religion, in contradiction with our state constitution.

Although private schools are a valuable alternative for some families, when Utah reduces its relative commitment to the 97 % of its students in public schools, how can we justify subsidizing private schools for such a small fraction of children? Moreover, in terms of “leveling the playing field” for poorer families, vouchers are deceptive. Some Utah private schools exceed $15,000 per year, not including textbooks and extracurricular activities. How many poor Utahns will be able to take advantage of a maximum $3,000 voucher with these levels of private school costs?

Following the voucher vote, it was painful to watch the Utah House honor a group of National Board Certified Teachers, knowing what the Legislature was doing to public education through that vote. Many of the teachers were in tears.

Rather than abandon one of the greatest institutions of modern civilization, the best state investment we can make - financially, socially, and morally – is Public Education.