Erin Longacre, a Republican, is the newest member of the Utah State Board of Education following an appointment by Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday.
“Everyone wants a seat at the table when it comes to education,” Longacre said Thursday in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune. “I want to take the voices and perspectives of teachers, parents, administration and even students to the board with me.”
Her appointment comes after former board member Molly Hart left her seat in June to take on the role of state superintendent. Hart had just secured a second term representing District 7 last year — which covers the southeast portion of Salt Lake County — after she defeated Democratic challenger John Arthur with 52% of the vote.
When an early vacancy occurs on the USBE, Utah law requires the governor to pick a replacement from a list of three nominees chosen by the State Central Committee of the outgoing member’s political party.
As Hart was elected as a Republican, the Utah GOP State Central Committee on June 21 selected its three finalists after three rounds of voting: Kris Kimball, Glen Burton and Longacre.
A spokesperson for Cox said the governor chose Longacre because he believes she is “deeply committed to improving student outcomes and strengthening parent engagement, two priorities that are essential to the success of our education system.”
Longacre and the other two finalists also saw support in a Facebook post from Natalie Cline, a controversial far-right former USBE member who was ousted from her seat last year.
Longacre previously ran for a seat on the Canyons School District board in 2022, but lost to incumbent Amanda Oaks, who won with 69% of the vote.
Longacre said her priority as a state board member is to ensure teachers, and those in the daily “trenches” of education, are heard.
“I want to truly listen, sit down and build relationships with those who have suggestions, concerns and ideas to improve education and make it more efficient,” Longacre said. “In all of my time in and around schools, I see the heavy load teachers are burdened with, I see parents who want to be more involved in their children’s education.”
Longacre said she has served as a substitute teacher for six years and is currently on the Parent-Teacher Association at her children’s school district. Those experiences, she said, motivated her to run for the state school board.
“I ran on being the candidate that is boots on the ground,” Longacre said. “Oftentimes, board members and others in education have a distant, birds-eye view on matters that mean the most. It is crucial to be in the trenches and that’s where you will find me.”
She shared that she’s a Kansas City Chiefs fan, which started during her time as a student at Villanova University in Pennsylvania.
One day, while at a gas station, she gave a ride home to a woman and her son who were having car trouble. Longacre didn’t know it then, but the woman was Tammy Reid, wife of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who was coaching the Philadelphia Eagles at the time.
Longacre soon became the family’s live-in nanny, and was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Reids are members of the faith.
“That ride home changed the direction of my life and put me on a path that led me to Utah,” Longacre said.
Longacre will serve on the state school board through 2026. If she wishes to keep the seat, which she said she plans to do, she must run in the next general election. The winner of that election will serve the remainder of Hart’s term, which ends in 2028.