The Utah Education Association (UEA) has unveiled its 2025 legislative priorities to strengthen Utah's public education system. These priorities focus on supporting educators and students by addressing funding, equity, and policy changes necessary for success.
2025 UEA Legislative Priorities
1. Increase Financial Support for Education:
- Provide at least a 3% increase on the Weighted Pupil Unit (WPU) above the statutorily required inflation adjustment and enrollment growth (estimated $135 million ongoing).
- Increase Paid Professional Hours for all licensed educators (estimated $100 million one-time).
- Continue funding the Stipends for Future Educators pilot program to offer financial support during student teaching experiences (estimated $8.5 million one-time).
- Support the Healthy School Meals initiative, enabling more families to access no-cost school meals (estimated $5 million ongoing).
- Establish a sustainable and growing long-term revenue source while ensuring sufficient distribution of funds to K-12 public education.
2. Quality Instruction and Student Equity:
- Preserve the freedom of public employees to participate in labor unions.
- Recognize educators as trusted professionals capable of developing instructional materials in alignment with Utah core standards and local district policies.
- Increase resources for school safety and student well-being, including physical facilities, school psychologists, social workers, and counselors.
- Provide additional support to educators, students, and families to improve attendance and engagement.
- Collaborate with families and education partners to develop programs that foster respect, understanding, acceptance, and sensitivity, ensuring safe and equitable schools for every child.
3. Education Policy Reforms:
- Prevent any additional funding for unaccountable private religious school vouchers.
- Ensure parity for educators by allowing all entities in the State and School System to absorb increased mandatory contribution costs for employees in the Tier II Utah Retirement System.
- Repeal 53G-7-224, which permits the Legislature to email school employees about policy issues during the decision-making process, putting educators at risk of sanctions for responding using school resources.
