Carmen NesbittA new Utah state school board member was sworn in Thursday— but her name wasn’t on midterm ballots.
Katrina Gibson, a Republican, will serve on the Utah State Board of Education for just two months until newly elected Democrat Kacee Weaver takes the helm early next year.
That’s because the District 2 seat was vacated by former board member Joseph Kerry in September, when he resigned from the board and withdrew his reelection bid.
Kerry’s exit cleared the way for the suddenly uncontested Weaver to win District 2, which encompasses parts of Weber County, including Ogden and Eden.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Katrina Gibson is sworn in as a member of the Utah Board of Education in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026.
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 (or, in this case, the Republican party).
However, only one application — Gibson’s — was received, a spokesperson with Gov. Spencer Cox’s office said.
Gibson received the official letter of appointment from Cox on Nov. 1, according to USBE officials. She told The Salt Lake Tribune she’d been interested in the state school board and noted members of the GOP asked her to apply.
“Because it is just a short time, I don’t have a big agenda,” Gibson said. “I am going to do a lot of listening and learning.”
Gibson lost her bid for the Weber County Commission in June after not securing enough votes to move on to the general election.
Eight state school board seats were up for grabs this November, and half of those races were uncontested, meaning winners — including Weaver — were decided ahead of Tuesday.
“I respect the process and recognize the importance of ensuring District 2 has representation during this transition,” Weaver said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune. “My focus remains on supporting students, strengthening public education, and ensuring that the voices of educators, families, and communities are represented.”
Unofficial returns as of Thursday afternoon show that three of the board’s 15 seats may shift to Democrats, giving the party a total of five seats on the otherwise Republican-dominated board.
