Education: Utah: Off Limits

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Teachers

The powerful National Education Association, spokesman for 902,000 classroom teachers, frowns on the words "strike" and "boycott"—they describe highly unprofessional behavior. But in Utah last week, 10,000 N.E.A. teachers went on a two-day "recess" while the association voted "sanctions" against the whole state, and for all Utah knew it might just as well have been struck and boycotted.

The blast was aimed at one target, Republican Governor George Dewey Clyde. The Utah Education Association, the N.E.A. affiliate that represents 98% of the state's public-school teachers, thought it had wrung a concession from Clyde last summer when he named a committee to investigate their demands for more money to run the schools. A fortnight ago, the committee recommended spending $6,000,000 on selective wage increases (average salary: $5,900), hiring new teachers, buying more books and equipment. Clyde rejected the report the day it came out. The U.E.A. at once called a strike—causing one father of four to observe: "It isn't easy to be stupider than Clyde, but the teachers managed it."

The teachers voted not to sign contracts for the 1964-65 academic year. Nevertheless, it seemed likely that they would be back at their blackboards this fall. Elections are coming up in November for a new legislature (40 teachers are candidates) and a new governor (Clyde cannot succeed himself). Rather than stay off the job, the U.E.A. will probably pressure the seven gubernatorial candidates for a commitment to educational spending, then grandly declare that the next move is up to the politicians who are elected.