Education: I was gratified to see the voucher issue so decisively defeated at the polls last year. We must build a strong educational infrastructure to effectively fund public education at all levels in the state while at the same time put in place mechanisms to attract and retain excellent teachers.

First, 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. Vouchers are not the answer. We need to commit greater financial resources to reduce class sizes and increase teacher pay. We also need to put in place standards that allow us to attract and retain high quality teachers.