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Lawmakers increased Utah’s per-pupil funding by 5%, which is 1.2% more than they were required to increase it.
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Utah teachers will be free to display LGBTQ+ Pride flags and other social, political or religious imagery. The Republican-led chamber shot down the proposal during the final week of the 2024 legislative session.
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The problem Utah educators have with the bill is that it doesn’t provide any state funding to make up for the funds schools will lose.
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The bill would prohibit Utah teachers from hanging a pride flag in their classroom and ban other things viewed as endorsing a specific “political or social belief.”
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Public union members say they feel unfairly targeted by the bill.
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Lawmakers may have banned “pornographic or indecent” books in 2022, but the law’s implementation has not been smooth sailing.
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Lawmakers must increase per pupil spending to keep up with inflation. But they can decide to give schools more than the minimum amount.
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Lawmakers passed a bill this year that requires that classroom materials and lessons be “consistent with the principles of inalienable rights, equal opportunity and individual merit.”
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It took less than two weeks for the hotly-debated bill to pass, all without the support of Democrats.
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Lawmakers will also discuss school safety, teen centers and transgender students.
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Utah Education Association’s Policy and Research Director Jay Blain said voters should look for someone who is both willing to listen to the public and work collaboratively with other board members and the school district.
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As it stands right now, the process for choosing a classroom curriculum varies greatly between the different school districts in Utah.