Dear (R) Legislators: Let’s get real about Public Education

By Dawn Stevenson, Candidate for Utah State House of Representatives. Retired educator—English teacher, school counselor, and state education leader. Endorsed by Granite Education Association and Utah Education Association--PAC

Dear (R) Legislators: No one is surprised to hear that Utah consistently ranks in the basement for spending on public education. Utah (R) Legislators have underfunded public education for more than 30 years. What is surprising is that state leaders proclaim loudly that Utah has a world-class economy but fail to make any efforts to provide world-class funding for public education. 

We must prioritize our well-known fiscal responsibility and family values to fully support public education and use all of the budget strategies we have available, including Tax Increment Financing, to help students, schools, and families. We can increase these funding levels without increasing taxes. Plus, investing in public education is investing in economic development. 80% of the spending for public education goes to working people — teachers, para-pros,  janitors, food service workers, and secretaries. These hard-working people are our neighbors. They buy houses and cars, groceries, and gasoline. We need a world-class education system, for our students, our communities, and our world-class economy.

Dear (R) Legislators: you and Governor Cox have burdened school districts with unpopular voucher programs as the price for one-time raises. Teachers and the Utah voters have rejected vouchers. Teachers also rejected the $4000 salary increase connected to the voucher program. They recognize a poison pill wrapped in a sugar coating. 90% of our students in Utah attend public education. How will further efforts to defund public education help them? We need to listen to our educators when it comes to education. Full stop.

Dear (R) Legislators: The fool’s bargain you have offered the average taxpayer is $8 a month in saved income taxes so you can be nearly giddy over “saving millions of dollars” for those  tax payers. Yet, you fail to admit that those few dollars per person means millions of fewer dollars for public education. A fool’s bargain.

Dear (R) Legislators: you have saddled local districts with unfunded mandates like HB 192 which requires parental leave for qualified parents, but have provided no funds to support such leave. While you pat yourselves on the back, rural school districts are cutting programs to pay for your playing politics. Once again, districts and teachers are expected to do more with less.

While you brag about your unfunded, short-sighted, and downright destructive plans for public education, we are missing the chance to make a real difference. With fully funding public education, we must pay our classroom teachers wages that will support recruitment and retention. We must have a curriculum that meets the needs of the future world of work. We must ensure that every student in Utah, whether in urban Salt Lake City or rural San Juan County, has access to high-speed internet and modern learning technologies. We must expand early childhood education and support these early education experts with a living wage and licensing that honors their expertise.

I am a career educator with over two decades of experience working with Utah's educators and schools. I know what is real. I know the challenges and opportunities facing our education system. Today, as I campaign for a seat in the Utah State House of Representatives, I'm driven by a vision of an education system that truly serves all our children and prepares them for the challenges of the 21st century. I ask for your vote on Nov. 5th. Together, we can invest in education and secure a brighter future for Utah.

As for the self-reports of the public education successes of our Dear (R) Legislators: they are about as reliable as a cartoon figure recommending a candidate on a campaign mailer. The cartoon figure should be Pinocchio.