While there were a number of beneficial bills and several legislators advocating for our public schools, I cannot ignore the laws passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor that chipped away at local control and parental rights and overlooked the real issues impacting our students in favor of political incentives.
I question whether the majority of the Legislature prioritized what they wanted right now over what Utah students needed the most. Three decisions stand out as examples.
HB261
The majority of the Legislature prioritized banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) instead of addressing documented experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination in Utah schools at the expense of viewpoint diversity and student success.
By passing HB261 within the first weeks of the session, the Legislature communicated that their immediate priority in education was to outlaw DEI at public universities and K-12 education.
Like Florida and Texas, HB261 is part of a national effort led by third-party actors to spread a disinformation campaign against any policy related to inclusion — see rebuttals from experts in Utah — and across the nation. While supporters of HB261 argue that it includes an alternative approach, the bill does not specifically outline an evidence-based policy. Given the lack of substantial evidence that DEI offices/initiatives directly increase the risk of discrimination in Utah, it is a gross misuse of political power to prohibit these practices under the clause that they are discriminatory.
If there was a concern that DEI was being misapplied, a simple phone call would have strengthened the impactful initiatives that were already in practice, leaving time for legislators to address pressing concerns such as preventing and responding to discrimination and threats based on race, ethnicity, disability and sex experienced by our students.
HB29
The majority of the Legislature prioritized making it easier to remove books from school libraries instead of creating solutions for improving literacy among Utah students at the expense of local control and parental rights.
Like HB261, a phone call would have proved sufficient for enforcing the sensitive material law. Rather, the Legislature took HB374 a step further with HB29 by removing local control and parental rights within the decision process and allowing a few parents (including out-of-state parents via subjective rating sites), employees and local board members from a subset of school districts and charter schools to ban a book statewide.
School districts already had procedures for HB374. An issue with compliance could have been easily resolved. If further specification was necessary, the Legislature could have practiced disagreeing better by debating HB29 alongside HB583, a bill held in rules committee that would have maintained local control, protected librarians and considered the entirety of a book. The committee and floor time given to HB29 would have been better spent crafting legislation that promotes literacy and strengthening efforts to achieve the state’s goal of having 70% of third graders reading at grade-level by 2027.
SB2
The majority of the Legislature prioritized micro, religious and private schools using our tax dollars designated for public education instead of funding the needs across public schools at the expense of Utah students.
After requesting $150 million, SB2 appropriated an additional $40 million to the Utah Fits All Scholarship Program, totaling $82 million for non-public schools, supplies and extracurricular activities. Expect this budget line to increase next year. Allocating more funding to a program that has yet to be evaluated, is not a data-informed investment nor fiscally responsible.
The additional funding for vouchers was prioritized over removing future lunch debt for students on free and reduced lunch plans, reducing K-3 class sizes, funding to offset removing school fees, teacher scholarships for advanced degrees and increasing Utah’s ranking in the cost-adjusted per-pupil spending relative to other states; Utah currently ranks near the bottom. Given our students’ achievements under prior levels of funding, imagine what Utah students could do if we invested closer to the national average.
The November election is crucial for public education. Please vote. Your vote will decide whether we elect candidates who support public education. Your vote will also decide whether income-taxes will continue to be designated for public education and other services, a constitutional amendment opposed by the Utah Education Association.
Educators need your help. Based on the bills previously passed, yearly income-tax cuts and larger class sizes, I do not trust the majority of our Legislature to prioritize public education beyond minimal requirements if the earmark is removed.
To advance public education, we need a change in Utah. Instead of placing national politics ahead of what Utah students need the most, we should elect officials at the state and local level who will vocally advocate for local control and parental rights, and make smart decisions for our students, educators and public schools.
(Photo courtesy of Kevin Korous) Kevin Korous
Kevin M. Korous, is a researcher, writer and statistician. He received his Ph.D. in family and human development. He is a candidate for Granite School District’s 2nd Precinct.
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