With its budget deep in the red, Utah is considering making senior year in high school optional. If education cuts proposed by state senator Chris Buttars are passed — giving students the right to graduate after completing the 11th grade — the state could shave $100 million off its $700 million deficit. "You're spending a whole lot of money for a whole bunch of kids who aren't getting anything out of that grade," says Buttars. But education groups, teachers and high school students are fiercely opposed. Is there a case for cutting the 12th grade in tough financial times? (Watch a CNN report about Utah's proposal to cut high school short)
This is lunacy: Is Buttars out of his mind? asks the St. George, Utah, Spectrum & Daily News in an editorial. No research and "little thought" has gone into this proposal. Will we need a "remedial system" for kids unprepared for the real world? Has there been a "formal study" about how it will affect "college admissions"? It's a completely "out-of-the-box" idea — but it should go back in, "sealed tightly," and never considered again.
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