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Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is throwing his support behind four candidates for the state school board.

In a statement posted to Herbert's campaign website on Wednesday, the governor endorsed incumbent Stan Lockhart and candidates Erin Preston, Kathleen Riebe and Wesley Christiansen.

"As voters in most of our counties have ballots already, and others go to the polls in less than three weeks," Herbert wrote, "I want to encourage you to support candidates for the State Board of Education who have a strong understanding of education policy, share our vision of the importance of local control of education, and who will work with educators and other stakeholders to improve student outcomes."

Wednesday's statement marked the first time during the current election cycle that Herbert has publicly thrown his support behind candidates for the state's governing school board.

In previous elections, Herbert had the power to select the two general election candidates for each school board seat under the provisions of a state law ruled unconstitutional in 2014.

Herbert declined to weigh in on the remaining four school board races, which include incumbent Dixie Allen and current school board vice-chairman Dave Thomas. His campaign spokesman, Marty Carpenter, said he had no additional information.

In his endorsements, Herbert noted Lockhart's passion for STEM education — an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics — Riebe's perspective as a classroom teacher, Preston's knowledge of policy as a charter founder and lawyer and Christiansen's experience at both the school district and higher education level.

"Throughout this campaign," Herbert wrote, "I have emphasized the importance of education and the success of our students to Utah's long-term economic strength and unsurpassed quality of life."

Lockhart recently received an unofficial endorsement from the Utah Technology Council, of which he is a member. The council is composed of representatives from Utah's technology industry, including companies that sell products to Utah schools, and has opposed school board candidates supported by the Utah Education Association.

Preston, Riebe and Christiansen were previously endorsed by and received in-kind contributions from the UEA, which also endorsed Herbert's re-election campaign.

Herbert's endorsements did not include any "Anti-Common Core" candidates, as identified by Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, during a September webinar promoted by the Utah Technology Council.

But Gary Thompson, an "Anti-Common Core" candidate and Riebe's opponent, received the endorsement of House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, last month.

"Dr. Gary Thompson is a conservative champion who will support common sense policies for students and protect local control," Hughes wrote in his endorsement announcement. "He is a man of integrity who will be a welcome addition to a new and improved state board of education."

Twitter: @bjaminwood