UEA Legislative Priorities

Utah’s per-pupil public education funding has plummeted to the nation’s lowest, while class sizes have grown to nation’s largest. There has been a significant downward trend in dollars devoted to education relative to economic activity.

To reverse these trends and secure the state’s economic future, the UEA believes Utah must...
Make Quality Public Schools a Priority – Now!

UEA 2010 Legislative Priorities
The UEA believes public schools provide the foundation for a civil and just society and the opportunity for every student to maximize his/her potential and talents for future success and positive participation in the community. From our viewpoint as education professionals, the UEA Legislative Platform and Priorities outline the policies and the investment necessary to provide this foundation to democracy.

The UEA believes ANY legislation must meet the following criteria:

    * Protect the rights of employees;
    * Provide for local autonomy in the distribution of resources and in the development of policy;
    * Recognize the importance of the professional judgment and voice of educators in creating education policy and programs; and
    * Provide sustainable and adequate revenue streams necessary to provide a great public school for every child in Utah.

Considerations for 2010:

School Funding

    * Maintain funding levels for WPU, educator salary adjustments and other on-going programs.
    * Fully fund student enrollment growth.
    * Provide educators with classroom supply money.

Quality Teaching and Learning

    * Maintain an adequately funded defined benefit retirement system to attract and retain quality teachers.
    * Support new educator induction and mentoring programs.
    * Support the nationally recognized National Board Certification for educators.
    * Support ongoing, adequately funded, research-based teacher compensation programs focused on providing a quality teacher in every Utah public school classroom.
    * Seek ways to reduce student-to-teacher ratios in Utah classrooms over time.

Tax Policy

    * Support tax structures that provide adequate, stable, long-term public education funding.
    * Support public education investments that will grow Utah’s economy.
    * Protect revenue sources dedicated to public K-12 education funding.