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Sandy • By passing the Every Student Succeeds Act last year, National Education Association (NEA) President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said Thursday, federal lawmakers removed the "handcuffs" from state education systems.

The law, which in December replaced the No Child Left Behind Act, allows states to develop their own performance measurements for public schools, rather than a mandated system of standardized testing and sanctions.

And those state-level conversations, Eskelsen Garcia said, provide educators with a chance to weigh in on how educational success and failure will be determined.

"We are right there in state after state, whether they invite us or not," she said. "We're not going to waste this opportunity — it's more than an opportunity; it's a responsibility to get this right."

Her comments were part of the opening session of the UEA Convention at the South Towne Expo Center, an annual two-day gathering of the Utah Education Association.

Eskelsen Garcia, a former Utah educator and past president of the UEA, said teachers have more authority than they realize, and should push for improved learning in their state and within their classrooms.

"Be the creative, caring, loving educators that made you want to be educators in the first place," she said. "Proceed until apprehended. Do not let anything stop you."

The convention also featured remarks from Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who said the state's teachers can't be thanked enough for the "exceptional" work they do.

He said he is a better governor because of a love of reading instilled in him by a fourth-grade teacher who would read from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" as Herbert and his classmates came in from recess.

"I enjoyed that story so much," Herbert added, "that I went that summer and got my first library card."

The Republican governor addressed a number of challenges within Utah's schools, including teacher shortages and low teacher pay, and a government prone to being distracted by the "next shiny new thing."

He also said Utah's parents can't simply drop their students off at kindergarten and pick them up 12 years later after graduation.

"There needs to be more engagement," he said. "More involvement with PTA. More involvement with teachers."

He said he believes Utah can have the best education system in the nation, but that requires improved communication between policymakers and educators, long-term planning and continued economic growth to fund school investment.

"The success that we have economically is joined at the hip with our success in the classroom," he said.

Herbert is currently running for re-election against Democratic challenger Mike Weinholtz. The UEA endorsed Herbert and bought advertisements on his behalf.

But the UEA's other political endorsements, particularly among candidates for the state school board, have drawn criticism from lawmakers like Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, and House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, as well as groups like the Utah Technology Council.

Those critics have accused the UEA of using out-of-state funding from the NEA to elect school board members who would push back against the Legislature and Utah's business community.

On Thursday, Eskelsen Garcia encouraged members of the UEA to go beyond the top races on their ballots and elect local candidates that are supportive of education.

"The biggest race for us in this state right now happens to be the state school board," she said.

Herbert made his first state school board endorsements on Wednesday, throwing his support behind technology lobbyist and incumbent Stan Lockhart, as well as three candidates previously endorsed by the UEA.

He said he didn't see an issue with the UEA endorsing school board candidates, adding that everyone has a right to weigh in on elections.

"There's nothing wrong with any kind of entity, under the law, to weigh in and endorse who they think would be a good candidate," he said.

Twitter: @bjaminwood