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Utah’s governor said he was disappointed “the process did not ultimately deliver the compromise” that was on the table. The state’s largest teachers union said lawmakers have “ignored thousands of voices.”
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The sound of hundreds of voices yelling “veto” could be heard on every floor of the Utah State Capitol Friday. Just a day before, lawmakers passed a bill to ban public labor union collective bargaining.
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GOP leadership ditched a deal that would’ve allowed some collective bargaining because they didn’t get the positive response they wanted from unions and their members. Democrats and the state’s largest teachers union are asking Gov. Spencer Cox to veto the bill.
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Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore said he’s gotten mixed messages from public unions and their members on his proposal to allow some collective bargaining. Without a consensus, he said they’ll likely press ahead with a full ban.
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Organized labor is having a moment in Utah politics right now.
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“Lawmakers heard us, they heard you. And while this fight is not over, it's a testament to what's possible when public workers stand in solidarity,” Utah Education Association President Renée Pinkney said.
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“Our second and our third graders stayed very stagnant; it was about exactly the same as where we were the year before. We've kind of hit a plateau,” Julie Clark with the Utah State Board of Education said of reading at grade level by the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
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Teachers can face difficult behavioral issues in the classroom, but preparing for that in real life can be challenging. Researchers say virtual reality offers them the chance to practice in a “risk free environment.”
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Sayre Posey is known for her engaging U.S. history lessons at Northwest Middle School in Salt Lake City.
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Utah has a low teacher vacancy rate, according to a recent Kem C. Gardner policy report. But 13% of the state’s teachers are “underqualified.”
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Viewmont High School teacher Carly Maloney was selected by a committee of representatives from parent and teacher advocacy organizations, charter schools, the Utah State Board of Education and the 2023 teacher of the year.
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Those helping to implement the science of reading instruction in Utah are hopeful the state will be able to get to 70% proficiency by 2027.