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For two decades, a coalition of parents, teachers, principals and district administrators has met to set goals, discuss education policy and research legislation.
But when the group huddles again later this month, one chair will be conspicuously empty.
In May, state school board representatives alerted the Utah Public Education Coalition that the board would be ending its longstanding participation in the group.
Board members will continue to attend as invited guests, school board Chairman David Crandall said, but will not take part in official business.
"We just want to make sure that our involvement is appropriate," Crandall said. "To me, it doesn't really feel like much of a change."
The coalition's remaining members disagree. The group was created to foster collaboration, they say, which is undercut by the board's absence.
"It sends a very confusing message," Utah Education Association President Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh said.
In addition to the UEA, the coalition includes representatives from the Utah PTA, the Utah School Boards Association and the state's professional organizations for school principals, district superintendents and nonteaching school employees.
The coalition, created in 1990, convenes throughout the year and holds weekly meetings during the legislative session.
Crandall said the group's blend of elected and private education leaders makes for a "weird mix."
The school board values the feedback and input it receives, he said. But board members, as elected representatives, can't be expected to support the decisions of a nongovernmental entity.
"We can't do that," Crandall said, "as a governing body in education, take our marching orders from a coalition of interest groups."
Dawn Davies, Utah PTA president and the coalition's chairwoman, said there has never been an expectation that school board members toe a line set by the coalition.
She said the meeting is a setting for discussion, and it's rare for the group to take formal action because a unanimous vote is required.
"We don't always agree," she said. "That isn't the point of this group."
Gallagher-Fishbaugh said it's odd for the board to step away from discussions with educators and school leaders, since those groups are responsible for implementing the board's policies.
"I wouldn't describe teachers, parents and school principals as special-interest groups," she said.
"I would describe them as stakeholders."
Davies said the decision to leave the coalition is part of a larger disconnect between the state school board and educators.
Last year, the board ended its practice of supporting or opposing education-related legislation, citing a need to collaborate with, rather than antagonize, lawmakers.
The board also lost its nonvoting members — representing higher education and the state's superintendents — after a recent change to Utah law.
Davies said parents and teachers rely on the board's opinion for guidance on statewide education issues. But the recent changes, she said, have weakened lines of communication.
"Without their voice, that is a huge piece missing for us," she said. "They are our elected officials and [with board members] not willing to state their opinions, makes you wonder why you're voting for anybody."
In October, the board appointed Brad Smith as state superintendent. His selection has generated controversy, with Smith making comments critical of teachers' unions and eliminating high-ranking staff at the state Office of Education to install his own executive team.
Crandall said some anxiety is to be expected with any change in leadership at the state office.
"Maybe it's a little more heightened with Superintendent Smith — I don't know," he said.
Smith's appointment has been welcomed by legislative leaders, who repeatedly praised the new direction of the school board and state Office of Education during the most recent legislative session.
Crandall said the board continues to value communication and collaboration and will send a representative to coalition meetings as long as the invitation stands.
Said Crandall: "We do value the feedback and input that we get from the groups in that coalition."