Utah Governor Gary Herbert has appointed Stan Lockhart to the state school board. Lockhart is the husband of late Republican Utah House Speaker Rebecca Lockhart.
Lockhart will represent the Nebo, Provo and Alpine school districts. He’s filling the position of Mark Openshaw who was killed in a Missouri plane crash last month. Lockhart says his goal is to carry on Openshaw’s style of governance.
“One of the things he was really, really good at, was reaching out to stakeholders and being inclusive in decision-making processes,” Lockhart says.
Lockhart is a lobbyist for IM Flash Technologies in Lehi. He’s also a board member for the STEM Action Center, which promotes the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math in Utah schools.
Governor Gary Herbert said in a statement Lockhart is uniquely qualified with his broad experience in business and technology combined with his understanding of Utah’s education system.
Lockhart’s appointment requires a confirmation by the Senate. Democratic Senator Karen Mayne plans to support the appointment.
“I think he brings a lot of experience to that board and a lot of credibility,” Mayne says. “He’s well-known and well-liked and I think the governor made a good choice.”
Democratic Senator Jim Dabakis says he’s not sure yet whether he’ll vote for Lockhart. He wrote an op-ed that appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune over the weekend calling for an end to the state school board all-together citing the states poor graduation rates and falling test scores.
“This part time group of people, more and more ideological motivated is simply a recipe for inaction at best and catastrophe at worst,” Dabakis says.
He added, he thinks the governor should be responsible for running public schools in Utah.
The Senate will likely confirm Lockhart this month.