Utah flirts with abolishing Senior Year

We all knew a few of "that type" of student. The ones who worked hard all thru high school and as soon as they were accepted to college, they stopped trying at all. Of course, most of "that type" learned too late that colleges (1) keep an eye on early admissions, and (2) are able to rescind an acceptance if they see grades slacking off. Still, at least one legislator in Utah is exploring the option of eliminating the Senior Year of high school altogether or at least making it optional. But it is not with the good of the students in mind - it is an attempt to close a serious budget gap.

The sudden buzz over the relative value of senior year stems from a recent proposal by state Sen. Chris Buttars that Utah make a dent in its budget gap by eliminating the 12th grade.

The notion quickly gained some traction among supporters who agreed with the Republican's assessment that many seniors frittered away their final year of high school, but faced vehement opposition from other quarters, including in his hometown of West Jordan..."You're looking at these budget gaps where lawmakers have to use everything and anything to try to resolve them," said Todd Haggerty, a policy associate with the National Conference of State Legislatures. "It's left lawmakers with very unpopular decisions."