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At 37 years old, the Utah Office of Education is changing its name.

As of July 1, the home of the administrators over Utah's public schools is known as the Utah Board of Education. It is an effort to reflect that the bureaucrats work at the direction of the elected statewide panel.

The cost of the change is estimated at $30,000 as the office tweaks letterheads, signs, webpages and contracts.

The move will eliminate "confusion that has likely weakened our ability to effectively communicate and advocate for students," board Chairman David Crandall said in a statement.

The state board voted in favor of the move in April to disabuse the public of the notion that the board and the office were separate entities with differing policy positions. But the change already was in the works. In the 2016 legislative session, state Rep. Bruce Cutler, R-Murray, successfully brought a bill that scrubbed all references to the state office from statute.

"This change unifies us not just in purpose but in name," state Superintendent Sydnee Dickson said in a prepared statement. It "formalizes work done over the past few years to create one team and one voice."

No changes in staffing are planned at the office with roughly 330 staff members.

Still, some board members have criticized the move, saying the money could be better spent on upgrades to curriculum or schools.

The change is a reversal of a 1979 board policy that created the separate office. The update never formally made its way into state code.

aknox@sltrib.com Twitter: @anniebknox