Jun. 17, 9:00 AM
The Education Interim Committee of the State Legislature holds a public meeting.
learn more>>
Feb. 23 - Mar. 22
Comcast Newsmakers interviews Robyn Bagley about www.Utah-EducationFacts.com
watch the video>>
Mar. 12
The 2009 Legislative Session concluded on Thursday, March 12th at midnight
learn more>>
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark report, A Nation at Risk.
learn more>>
In the 2007-08 school year, Utah spent $8,224 per public school student.
learn more>>
Charter schools are independent public schools run by parents or non-profits.
learn more>>
The average class size in Utah is 22.2
learn more>>
High school students can graduate with an associate's degree and a scholarship worth 75% of college tuition.
learn more>>
Make a Difference Contact Elected Officials
Most of the decisions that affect Utah's education system and your neighborhood public schools are made by elected officials at the state and local levels.
Use the links below or scroll down to find your elected officials' contact info and the best way to communicate with them.
Elected Officials to Contact: | |
| > | State Legislator |
| > | Utah State Board of Education Member |
| > | Governor |
| > | Local School Board Members |
Logistics | |
| > | Why contact elected officials? |
| > | How to contact elected officials |
Like the US Congress, the State Legislature has two chambers: the State House of Representatives and the State Senate. In most cases, you'll probably want to contact both your Representative and Senator in the State Legislature about your issue. You can also contact legislators from other districts who share interests in your issue.
Find Your Legislators>> This link takes you to an easy-to-use website for finding out who your legislators are, including all of their contact info.
You can also look up your legislators on the State Legislature website using the links below:
State Legislature website>>State House of Representatives:
State Senate:
The Utah State Board of Education is composed of 15 elected members who oversee Utah's public education system under the laws passed by the State Legislature. The Utah State Board of Education creates regulations that public schools and programs must abide by.
Utah State Board of Education website>>The Governor signs bills passed by the State Legislature into law and has a lot of influence on the policies that are adopted at the state level. The current Governor of Utah is Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Local school boards are composed of 5 to 7 elected members who oversee a public school district and make key decisions affecting how the public schools in their district are run.
Most of the decisions that affect Utah's education system and your neighborhood public schools are made by elected officials at the state and local levels.
Since less than 10% of the funding for Utah's public schools comes from the federal government, federal politicians (like your U.S. Senator and Representative in the U.S. Congress) have little influence over the policies affecting Utah schools.
Since state and local officials represent much fewer voters than federal politicians, your contact with them will have much more influence on their decision-making. With so much attention being paid to national politics, many state and local officials rarely hear from the people they represent. It only takes a few phone calls or letters concerning the same topic to grab a local politician's attention.
Elected officials know they need your vote to stay in office. So the first thing you should do when contacting an elected official is let them know that you are one of their constituents, which means that you live in the political district that they represent. Don't be intimidated by your elected officials. Remember, they work for you.
The most effective forms of communication with an elected official are a face-to-face visit, a phone call, or a letter. Each of these are personal and show that you care enough about the issue to take time out of your busy schedule.
Emails can be effective, too, especially once the elected official knows who you are. If you decide to email an elected official who doesn't know you personally, be sure to indicate in the subject line of your email that you are one their constituents. They will be much more likely to read the email and respond to you.
No matter how you decide to contact your elected official, be respectful yet firm in your communications. Clearly and sincerely express your opinion on the matter at hand. If you are calling or visiting an elected official, it might help to organize your thoughts on paper first.
