The Daily Herald from Provo, Utah • 9

I. Obituaries B2 Utah News B3 i I Opinions B4 MM (Lp (oj iLJ 1 The Daily Herald Tuesday, January 5, 1993 yppossti teem nnin iffina contro Locals honor Statehood Day II to local Sh istric a ill i rr II 1 VJI 0 i il s-nt. Ur" 11 lit 1 vtf Herald PhotoJason Olson Outgoing Provo Mayor Joseph Jenkins speaks during the Statehood Day Celebration Monday at Controls may aid schools Editor's Note: this is the second story in a series on a site-based management experiment at Orem High School and Orem Elementary School. By PAT CHRISTIAN Herald Staff Writer OREM Orem High School and Orem Elementary School are among 16 schools in Utah experimenting with a daring educational adventure in freedom called site-based management. In the experiment, some educational decision-making authority is transferred from boards of education to decision-making site councils located at individual schools.

Traditionally, local communities have controlled groups of schools through school districts and elected district boards of education. Legally, control over education belongs to state government through its elected legislators. But every state except Hawaii has transferred some of its control to local elected school boards. Some districts manage only one or a few schools. Others manage many schools.

Alpine School District a relatively large school district manages 44 schools. Its schools are located in Orem and every other other northern Utah County community. Nationwide, since the late 1960s, citizens in many cities have called for more local control of public school systems to make them more responsive to commu-nitee or neighborhood needs. Particularly, minority groups have demanded that control be transferred from city-wide boards of edcuation to elected neighborhood councils of parents, that make their decisions in public meetings. So far, only Orem High has organized a site council, and it has been appointed, not elected.

Besides parents, it includes teachers, students and government and business and industry representatives. By 1973, New York City, a pi By SCOTT NIENDORF Herald Correspondent Utah residents overcame tremendous opposition from both inside and outside the territory in their quest for statehood, said a historian Monday evening at the Statehood Day Program in the Provo Tabernacle. Dr. Jean White, emeritus professor of political science at Weber State University, in her Statehood Day address titled "Prelude to Statehood: Coming Together in the 1890s," told an audience of about 200 people, including Gov. Mike Leavitt and numerous community leaders, that Utah Mormons encountered extreme pred-judice from local non-Mormons for their political and business dealings and hatred from the Eastern United States and the national press for practicing polygamy.

White said the Utah Territory faced a unique obstacle in that the area was settled by single cohesive group bent on escaping American political, economic and religious systems. She said the Mormons did not have the experience other territories had in melding a diversity of religious and political groups to where they could all function peacefully together. White said Democratic President Grover Cleveland appointed Caleb West as territorial governor for a second term in 1893 because he had gained important experience working with the Mormons and could assist in helping the territory gain statehood. White said West tried to work with the Mormon church hierarchy to disband the practice of polygamy and to discontinue running the territory's political affairs through its church organization. The practices were deemed "un-American" and prompted the national press to call the territory a "theo-democracy." said the federal government acted to "Americanize" the Utahans by passing the Edmunds Act of 1882 which made polygamy a felony and disqualified participants from public office and jury duty and resulted in the imprisonment or exile of several Mormon leaders.

tin 1887, the Edmunds-Tucker Act abolished women's suffrage, introduced a test oath whereby a person could not vote if he practiced or promoted polygamy, disincorporated the LDS church and confiscated most of the church's property to the United Stales, she said. White said Mormon's felt gaining statehood was the only way they would be able to control their own destiny. White related how through several territorial constitutional conventions, the creation of cham Utah's governors provide potpourri of style bers of commerce, Wilford Woodruff's Manifesto of 1890 (asking church members to sustain the law of the land concernig polygamy), the forming of national political parlies and establishing state-funded schools, Utahns finally convinced Congress and the president to grant statehood to Utah on Jan. 4, joined the ranks of 13 former Utah governors and 15 Utah Territorial governors that began with the reign of Territorial Governor Brigham Young (1850-1858). Leavitt, 41, became the 14th governor of Utah and shared some commonalty with Heber Manning Wells, Utah's first state governor (1896-1905).

Both were Republicans and both were Utah's youngest governors. At 37, the Salt Lake City born Wells, who had been a former government tax collector, remains the youngest governor in Utah history. Leavitt becomes the second-youngest governor. Leavitt is also the 8th Republican governor. At 71, Utah's fourth governor, Simon Bamberger was the oldest I'f.

1896. The Statehood Day program was conducted by Utah actor James Arrington as Brigham Young, and music was provided by the Ralph Woodward Chorale. Leavitt lauded the early builders of statehood and the present builders saying the state is on the governor to serve and the first Democrat to hold the office. Five other Democrats have been elected to governor. Born in Germany, Bamberger also was the first non-Mormon governor and the second Jew to be elected governor of any state in the nation.

Interestingly, Utah's second, third and fourth governors were foreign born. Besides Bamberger, John Christopher Cutler, Utah's second governor (1905-1909), was born in England, and like Leavitt had ties to the insurance industry. Cutler, president of his family's dry goods company, served as a director of several insurance companies and banks. William Spry, Utah's third gov 4. By PAT CHRISTIAN Herald Staff Writer SALT LAKE CITY The Utah National Guard's 23rd Army Band played the national anthem.

Michael Okerlund Leavitt his wife Jacalyn Smith Leavitt by his side raised his hand and repeated the oath of office like 13 state governors before him. Then, the uniformed band played "Utah We Love Thee," Utah's state song, and "God Bless America." On Monday, Leavitt spoke the oath of office on a platform in the Utah State Capitol, in front of the Supreme Court chambers and below a fresco of a scene of a first cabin being constructed in the Salt Lake Valley. The former insurance executive the Provo Tabernacle. verge of breaking through as a leading state in the United Slates not only as a place to live but as a place for doing business. Donald LeBaron of the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission said in his remarks that a Brigham Young statue had been commissioned and would be placed in the Capitol building.

ernor was also bnglish born, and like Wells had been a tax collector. Spry is remembered for convincing the Utah Legislature to appropriate funds for the Capitol Building, where Leavitt was inaugurated Monday. Spry is also remembered for his refusal to intervene in the execution of labor leader Joe Hill, who had been convicted of murder in one of the nation's most publicized crime cases. Two other governors were born in other states. The first was Democrat George Henry Dern, Utah's sixth governor (1925-1933), born in Nebraska and captain of the University of Nebraska's football team.

He later became secretary of (See GOVERNORS, Page B2) 1 Herald PholoPalnck J. Krohn PeifflitiQgs: helps soSve Provo residents' problems yM i oneer in site-based management, had established 32 of these elected mini-boards of education or site councils. Experimenters at Orem High and Orem Elementary expect positive educational changes from these site councils, but are unsure exactly what will result, since they both are too early in their trials. The schools received about $50,000 each in grant money from the Utah Legislature over a year and a half ago and say they have been researching and developing the concept. Orem High Principal John Childs said the site-based grants are for three years with S25.000 coming the first year, $15,000 the second and then a final $10,000.

Both Childs, and Brent Milne, principal at Orem Elementary, said they have been using the lion's share of money to pay school teachers for extra hours they put in on researching and developing a site -based program. Orem Elementary has yet to organize its site council, but expects to have it in place early in 1993. Orem High School's site council has already been appointed and one of the first site-based decisions has already come under strong ticism from at least one very vocal opponent. Some call the restructuring program, that Wednesday thing. "We have started with that Wednesday thing," said Dick Bee-son, a site council appointee at Orem High.

The site council set aside two Wednesdays a month for special programs. Instead of classes letting out at 2:10 p.m., regular classes end at 12:30, but school buses still won't leave school until after 2: 10. During that extra time, students may attend a variety of special classes, activities and intramural games. Teachers use the time for prcpa-(Svc SCHOOL, Page B2) Harding By SHEILA SANCHEZ Herald Staff Writer PROVO Her childhood dream was to become an attorney. She wanted to represent the "underdog" in matters that needed legal expertise.

That childhood dream turned into reality in 1986, when Provo City Mayor Joseph A. Jenkins selected Sally Harding as the city's ombudsman. Harding. 60. is now somewhat of an investigator turned attorney.

On a busy day, the phone in her office rings approximately 100 times. The calls, some in the form of complaints and some in the form of requests, deal with a variety of subjects. Several months ago. a lady called Harding because she wanted her to locate her missing canary. Another caller, who phones at least once a week and remains anonymous, calls to report "for sale" vehicles located in parking-lots, which is against a city ordinance.

She assumes the caller is an auto dealer. She once received a call from a landlady who felt her power bills were too high and wanted Harding to tell her tenants to defrost their refrigerators. Jenkins created the ombudsman position after city manager Chet Wagner felt overburdened by complaints. "They wanted someone who would listen to complaints and follow through on them," Harding said. The number of complaints has grown from 800 in 1986 to 3,200 in 1992.

"People have the right to have someone respond to their concerns," Harding said. Harding says she loves her job. but admits it can be stressful at times. "Often times I have people vent their anger at me but I like to help everybody. "I've learned how to say no very carefully in a lot of different ways.

Every request is very important to the person making it," Harding said. Harding started working for the city in 1953 as the city engineer's secretary. From 1955 to 1981, she was the city's planning commission secretary. From 1981 to 1983, she worked for the city's redevelopment agency as a v. Provo city ombudsman Sally Harding uses her telephone and computer among other resources to try and help community residents with their questions and concerns.

rehabilitation well. I had an idea of the func- Paul, have four children and 16 In 1983. she became a zoning lions ofcach city department. grandchildren, enforcement coordinator for the "I like people and I like to Harding is planning to retire in Community Development De- work with people. I try to become 1994.

partment. aware of what's going on." she "1 think this is a good service "I had been with the city so said. to the people of Provo," she add- "Neighbors" highlights interesting local people who are not necessarily newsmakers. If you know of someone young or old with an interesting hobby, talent, or a unique story to tell contact Herald reporter Pat Christian at 3 73-5050. long and I knew the city very Harding and her husband, id..