Education: It is time for us to devise clear educational priorities and provide a strong public education infrastructure which addresses the needs of students. At the same time we need to attract and reward great
teachers in public schools and higher education.
Our State needs to develop a long term commitment to, and infrastructure for,
delivering high quality public education. Utah’s hopes for attracting business and maintaining
good jobs depend on it; strong economic growth is directly tied to the quality of our public education. District 28 has a long history of close association with the University of Utah.
Strengthening that institution and other higher education programs in Utah is key to ensuring
continued future economic growth.
While the state has, commendably, demonstrated a
commitment to physical infrastructure projects such as freeway reconstruction, TRAX and the
Front Runner rail system, a permanent commitment to the foundational infrastructure of our
public education system is lagging behind. We need to commit
greater financial resources to reduce class sizes and increase classroom resources. We also need to put in
place standards that allow us to attract and retain high quality teachers.