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The Salt Lake Tribune
KATHERINE KAPOS
March 14, 1998
A lack of high school counselors and poor funding for libraries is jeopardizing accreditation of several Utah schools.
Eight public high schools and five private and special-purpose schools have been placed on "warned" status for the 1997-98 school year by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.
Every Utah high school must submit an annual accreditation report to the association to determine if it is meeting minimum education standards.
Private schools, middle schools and elementary schools have the option of becoming accredited, but it is not mandatory.
Students who attend nonaccredited schools may be unable to transfer credit to another school or risk being denied entrance to colleges and universities.
Northwest looks at a variety of standards, including course offerings, teacher preparation, libraries and long-term improvement plans when accrediting.
The warnings should serve as a red flag to parents and local school boards that the school needs some attention.
"It is a reason to step back and look at what they are doing and make plans to do better," said Linda Alder, curriculum coordinator for the State Office of Education.
Hugh Davis, the principal at Morgan High School, knew his school would be warned this year, but could do little to prevent it.
Morgan High School has a counselor-student ratio of 1-to-712, too high by Northwest standards, and a library budget half of what is recommended. The media specialist also is not certified.
"We've tried to do the best we could with what we've got, but at some point we need [to hire] someone else," said Davis. "Those kinds of things are money items and I don't make decisions on money items."
Other schools with significant infractions include:
-- Wayne High School: This is the second year the school has been warned because teachers are not properly endorsed; the library lacks equipment; and school records are not kept in a fireproof vault or duplicated.
-- Richfield High School: This is the second year the school has been warned. Neither the State Office of Education nor the school had the Northwest report that listed specifics. Principal Teresa Robinson said it probably was because the school has been unable to hire additional counselors.
-- Union High School: The school lacks the required number of media staff; two teachers are not endorsed properly; and 15 teachers exceed the recommended class load. The school might not have been warned, but it has submitted its report late for the past two years.
Turning in the accreditation reports past the Oct. 15 due date forced five other schools to receive the warning. They include Tabiona High, Duchesne District; Manila High, South Sanpete District; West Desert High, Tintic District; Whitehorse High, San Juan District and the Navajo Mountain Boarding School, run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in San Juan County.
Private schools on warned status this year include:
-- Browning Academy, La Verkin: This is the second year the for-profit residential treatment center has been warned. The status will remain until a team can visit the center to see if progress is being made in certification and curriculum areas.
-- Majestic Boys Ranch Academy, Randolph: A committee found problems with the curriculum; there is no library-media specialist; the school does not keep the library open; school budget is inadequate; and staff does not meet certification requirements, a concern for three years.
-- Mount Vernon Academy, Murray: Teachers did not meet state certification requirements; a state committee also believed the school misrepresented the amount of interaction the principal had at the school.
-- Mr. Tutor-Learning Fundamentals, Sandy. The school administrator did not hold proper certification; and there were unqualified teachers in some classes, a concern for three years.
St. Paul Lutheran School in Ogden had its accreditation dropped because it did not turn in a report. School principal John Macy said the school is seeking accreditation through the American Christian Schools International.
Under Northwest standards, principals, teachers and library-media specialists must have teaching certificates or endorsements for the courses they teach. Libraries should have a minimum of 15 books per student.
The counselor-to-students ratio should not exceed 1-to-400, and high school teachers should not have more than 160 students in all the classes they teach.
Schools that meet or exceed the standards are approved for accreditation for another year. Schools with minor problems are placed on "advised" status and told to make improvements.
Schools that have been advised, yet make no effort to remedy problems over one or two years, are warned.
Six schools that were warned last year had their status upgraded to either approved or advised. They include Highland High School, Salt Lake City District; Kanab High, Kane District; Park City High, Park City District; Wendover High, Tooele District; Woodland Hills, Murray, a private nonprofit alternative school and The Family Preservation Institute, a private school in Logan and Brigham City.