This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I was shown a letter recently sent to Utah business leaders by Sen. Wayne Neiderhauser and Rep. Greg Hughes, requesting help in raising money to support State School Board candidates that they feel will work better with the Legislature in education matters. The letter also invited the business leaders to be part of a discussion with the two legislators. And in The Tribune there was a report on the webinar held following that invitation.
There was the normal downgrading of education unions, and any other organization having similar concerns about public education. By the way, the Utah Education Association is not a union; it is a professional organization. But the main concern it seems is that, in Sen. Neiderhauser's words, the board will slide into the past "when an obstinate school board clashed with state lawmakers."
Oh, yes, life has been so much simpler for the state Legislature to rule over public education, make life more difficult for teachers and school districts, promote special interests in technology and charter schools since the Legislature created the unconstitutional way to "select" state school board members.
With the illegal "vetting" election process, our ruling legislators didn't have to worry about what is best for Utah schools, or what Utah citizens want; they could more easily do what they and their special interest supporters wanted.
Now that that state board selection system has been declared unconstitutional, and we now have non-partisan State Board of Education elections, the Hugheses and Neiderhausers are getting nervous that they will again have to deal with board members whose main interest is education.
Fred Ash
Sandy