Some educators have worried in recent weeks that if the committee's meetings are held in private, it could choose only candidates with certain political views to run for the board.

In all, 35 candidates have applied to run for seven seats on the Utah State Board of Education, which sets state education policy. Some of them supported vouchers and/or support school choice. Vouchers failed to take hold in Utah in part because the state school board refused to implement them after lawmakers passed a law later defeated in a public referendum.

"If the interviews are open, that allows the public to know what kind of candidates are coming forward," state board member Kim Burningham said. "The qualifications of candidates are critical . . . If we get only one type of candidate or the process is closed, the public is harmed."

Jeff Alexander, nominating committee chairman, had said the meeting during which members interviewed potential candidates would be closed, basing the decision on advice from the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel and Utah Code 52-4-204.

That same section of code, however, says, "A public body may not interview a person applying to fill an elected position in a closed meeting." After that provision was brought to Alexander's attention, he sought further legal counsel minutes before Friday's meeting began.

"It wouldn't have made much sense to take a hard line and close it," Alexander said. "It's not that big of an issue to me."

Another meeting scheduled for May 8, however, still may be closed depending on what the Attorney General's Office advises, he said.

Committee member and Utah Food Industry Association President Jim Olsen worried that opening Friday's meeting could give candidates

interviewing at the May 8 meeting an unfair advantage in that they'd know the questions in advance. Ultimately, the committee decided to

open the meeting anyway and take the situation into account later, if necessary, when choosing which names to forward to the governor.

One of the candidates interviewed Friday, Carol Murphy, a past president of the Utah School Boards Association, was happy Friday's meeting was open. Kyle Bateman, who has been involved with Children First Utah, which gives partial private school scholarships to low-income students, also had no objections to answering questions in an open meeting.

A handful of others in attendance also were pleased. "Every decision is the result of a process. If you want to know what that decision might be or influence it, you need to be a part of the process," said Pat Rusk of Utahns for Public Schools, a group that campaigned against vouchers.

lschencker@sltrib.com