Utah State Board of Education

The High Quality School Readiness program pays for at-risk children to attend preschool, but it only serves 3% of Utah 4-year-olds.

The resolution, which drew attention online and hundreds of messages to board members, called on schools to get rid of any remaining DEI practices. Utah’s anti-DEI law was passed in 2024.

“We can't post policemen at every rock art or rock writing site,” said Southern Utah University's Samantha Kirkley. So the key is helping kids develop a link to the past.

While Utah largely outperformed national averages, fourth and eighth grade math and reading scores still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Updated guidance from Utah State Board of Education staff clarifies that students can’t bring to school their personal copies of books deemed “sensitive material.”

There have been two major cybersecurity incidents affecting Utah schools this school year. Names, addresses, birth dates, and in some cases, Social Security numbers, have been exposed.

Teachers want more per-pupil funding to better meet the needs of students and educators. Reducing high levels of stress and burnout is another priority.

“Just the sheer number of bills that have created new rules, programs and reports for districts, it’s become overwhelming, especially in the last few years,” said Utah School Boards Association President Teri Rhodes.

The state’s largest teachers union argues Utah’s newest and largest voucher program is unconstitutional. The state disagrees.

“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.

According to a KUER analysis of public records, 25 books are teetering on the edge of being banned statewide.

Ogden is one of three districts in the state where Hispanic students graduate at an equal or greater rate than their caucasian counterparts.