On Feb. 28, Utah teachers received a letter from the Utah Legislature signed by Gov. Spencer Cox, Speaker of the House Mike Schultz, and Senate President Stuart Adams. The letter announces a raise for teachers, a one-time bonus for support staff, and a 4% funding increase. Also in the letter, legislators congratulate themselves for their work through the years and attempt to gaslight educators with assurances of appreciation and support.
For experienced, highly qualified teachers, this “raise” amounts to a modest 1.5% cost of living adjustment, which may be enough to purchase eggs over the next year. Legislators need to do much more than that to convince me of their support, after they have chipped away at teachers’ autonomy through multiple bills over many years; taken away the Utah Education Association’s right to negotiate fair employment contracts for teachers by passing HB267; given away $180 million of public education money to private entities, with plans to increase that amount; attempted to strip dedicated funding from public education through a constitutional amendment; and are currently seeking to divest power from Utah’s judiciary because they disagree with the Utah Supreme Court’s unanimous decision concerning that attempted amendment.
After overwhelmingly rejecting the will of their constituents and playing revenge politics at the expense of Utah’s students and educators, now the Legislature and the governor, who signed HB267 into law rather than standing up for public educators’ rights by vetoing it, have extended a wilted olive branch to teachers through this disingenuous letter. It does not feel at all like appreciation or commitment to teachers. It feels like a stunt aimed at convincing themselves and the public that they’re just really good guys. I’m not buying it.
The repeal of HB267 would represent a good-faith effort toward the Utah Legislature’s genuine appreciation and support of public education and educators.
Dayna Jones Shoell, Millcreek