Sex and how to teach kids about it was the topic of discussion on Utah’s Capitol Hill yesterday. House Bill 363 initially proposed banning any discussion on contraceptives, premarital sex and homosexuality in Utah schools. As KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, the bill passed out of committee after a heated debate, but not before significant changes were made.
A strike at lifelong employment for college professors failed to pass the House Education Committee Wednesday. Republican Representative Chris Herrod’s second attempt to ban Utah colleges and universities from granting academic tenure failed on a 10-to-4 vote. Opponents of the bill noted the state’s strengthened five-year tenure review, which frustrated Herrod, who says that was a direct result of his attempt to ban tenure last year.
A bill that requires the State Board of Regents to get approval from the governor and the Utah Senate before hiring a Commissioner of Higher Education narrowly passed the House of Representatives this morning.
It appears education funding in the state has nowhere to go but up. This morning, the House of Representatives approved the public education base budget for the next year.
A new plan from the Utah State Office of Education will likely save local school districts a lot of money when it comes to teaching materials. It’s announced an initiative to develop open textbooks, which can be accessed for free online or printed at a much cheaper cost. Diana Suddreth is the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM Coordinator with the state office.
Getting students more help with their college and career plans is the focus of one Democratic state lawmaker. A bill proposed by Representative Patrice Arent creates a pilot program that would put 18 interns in Utah schools to specifically help students with college admissions and scholarships. Arent says while high school guidance counselors normally do this type of work, they simply have too many other things to get done, having to serve more than 360 students per counselor.
As Chief Deputy Utah Attorney General, Republican John Swallow has battled against the federal government on issues like health care reform and public lands. Now, with incumbent Mark Shurtleff retiring at the end of 2012, he’s running for his boss’s job.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert delivered the 2012 State of the State Address tonight on Capitol Hill. In his speech, the Governor focused on the state’s business success, job growth, fund management, and public education.
In their response to Governor Herbert’s State of the State Address tonight, Utah’s Democratic leaders stressed their priority this legislative session is to improve public education through a series of bills called the “Best Schools Initiative.”
If the first day of the 2012 legislative session is any indicator, it appears lawmakers intend to keep their word to make education a top priority. Yesterday, a bill that would limit class sizes in Kindergarten through 3rd grade passed unanimously out of committee despite concerns the money should be spent elsewhere. KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports on what the bill could mean for Utah’s schools.
